The Gecko's Foot: Bio-Inspiration: Engineering New Materials from Nature

Bio-inspiration is a relatively new field of science that is trying to replicate the phenomena and designs of nature in ways that are of benefit to man. The manner in which a gecko's foot allows it to climb glass, the way in which the wings of a butterfly sparkle in the sunlight and the complex methods of flight used by insects have all inspired technologists to emulate nature. More recently the cellular world with its molecular machines has provided a source of ideas for nano-technological design. This 'nanorealm' that is the cell has become the last frontier of natural exploration. Bioinspiration has likewise brought together disparate disciplines of science to tackle some of the major challenges of engineering and medicine - proteins that stick onto silica chips, for example, that may one day help in finding a cure for cancer. Peter Forbes describes his book as, "the Aladdin's cave of bio-inspired materials and devices" - a 'must have' account for those interested in all things bioinspired. As he remarks, "bioinspiration has opened up a new realm of nature as surely as did the coming of the microscope or the unraveling of the structure of DNA". Yet it is the potential commercialization of a product that makes the field of bioinspiration so captivating. One of Forbes' foremost examples is the leaf of the lotus plant. With its bumpy surface and its water repellency, the lotus leaf can be easily washed free of any dirt- an effect that is now being used in the manufacture of different types of glass and metal coatings. The same effect may soon be applied to clothes as a means of preventing stains. With its extreme elasticity and strength spider silk is another natural substance that could soon bring about the design of commercially-viable man made products. Spider silk is after all strong enough to trap flying insects without snapping or tearing- a property that has been exploited by fishermen from Papua New Guinea who use spider silk in their fishing nets. The mimicking of natural silks culminated in the invention of Nylon in 1937. But neither Nylon nor any other man made fiber to-date has come close to paralleling the strength of the natural alternatives. Spiders spin their filamentous fibers from an initially watery solution making a composite structure that is extremely strong. The commercial potential of a synthetic spider silk-like fiber, once it is found, is all too evident. Indeed one entrepreneur has already patented a machine that mimics the mechanics of the spider's spinneret. Perhaps the first applications of any synthetic spider silk will be biomedical. But eventually they might even find use in the manufacture of satellites and space telescopes. A synthetic material that replicates spider silk is likely to bring lucrative returns to its eventual inventor. Just as attractive for 'bioinspirationalists' are the one billion tiny bristly hairs on the sole of a gecko's foot that help it to stick very efficiently onto surfaces. The und

The Gecko's Foot was an interesting book about how nature has influenced engineering. From self-cleaning surfaces based on the lotus flower to photonic crystals and new ideas about molecular circuitry, this was a fascinating read. Most of the book was easy enough for me, a non-engineer, to understand. The part about optics went right over my head, no matter how much I tried to break it down into small pieces. But it was quite informative in other places. I had always wondered what spider silk is made of and how it works, so it was cool to read that I am not the only person who wondered about that and that even scientists still don't quite understand how the spider does that. I would have liked more pictures, but the ones that were there really helped explain the text. Fun book.

This book is an excellent choice to explain a frontier area of Technology. In the realm of the miniature, specifically the nano realm, the realm between one millionth and one billionth of a meter, nature packs in a world of surprises that affect us in the real world. The author points out that as science and technology progess into this nano realm we often duplicate what nature has already invented "bioinspiration". The author brings out some very interesting examples of nature and man made parallels such as, self cleaning glass that imitates the lotus flower petal's method of remaining spotless, and photonic crystals compared to illuminated deep sea creatures. It shows that the author did some research for this book. He has an entertaining writing style and each chapter moves right along. The book does not get bogged down in mathematical science.

Bio-engineering builds intricate structures based on nature's properties, using 'wet' self-assembly techniques of nature - and this new science is explored rarely for general audiences, making THE GECKO'S FOOT: BIO-INSPIRATION-ENGINEERING NEW MATERIALS FROM NATURE a winning discussion. From the origins of Velcro in the notorious spiny cocklebur to how self-cleaning leaves fostered self-cleaning surface inventions, THE GECKO'S FOOT draws direct links between bioresearch and consumer interests. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

In one of the few books ("Pulse" is another good choice) that focus on bio-inspired processes and products, Forbes explains some interesting applications inspired by lotus, desert beetles, spider silk, and a whole bunch of other examples from Nature. Each chapter focuses on one specific product or theme and hence is fairly independent of the other chapters and can be essentially read in any specific order. The discussion does sometimes may get too technical for a non-science background reader, especially some of the diagrams. However, the discussion in itself is very clear and the reader obtains a good sense of appreciation of the products being envisaged from a particular "inspiration". Excellent information. A must read.