Bionics

Bionics (also known as biomimetics, biomimicry, biognosis, or bionical creativity engineering) focuses on the decoding of “inventions of natural life” and their innovative application to technology. Bionics is an interdisciplinary area where natural scientists and engineers work together with representatives of other fields such as architects and designers, if need be.
The English term bionics was coined by Jack E. Steele, a US Air Force colonel, during a conference at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, in 1960.  In German, the word for bionics is “Bionik,” a portmanteau word comprising the words “Biologie” [biology] and “Technik” [technology], implying that principles derived from biology can be used for technical applications. Bionics is a systematic approach to learning from nature, which separates it from mere natural inspirations.