What materials will we use in the future? How will we manufacture products? How will we cure diseases and protect ourselves against threats? How will we integrate human economic activity into nature’s cycles? Answers to these questions can be found by applying materials, structures and principles of living nature to technology in innovative ways, many of which were only made possible by digitalization. But digitalization alone cannot satisfy society’s basic needs for protecting common goods such as water, air, soil and biodiversity. This is why, at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the concept of biological transformation goes hand in hand with digital transformation.
Nature as a driver of innovation in engineering and manufacturing
By learning from nature, humans can find solutions to the great challenges of our time, such as resource and energy consumption, climate change and the resilience of important supply systems, while at the same time fostering sustainable and efficient growth. The biological transformation is thus a logical and necessary addition to digitalization and Industrie 4.0. In short, it will ensure that technological advancement is sustainable.
The book “Biological Transformation” provides a solid overview of the fields in which the biological systems being researched in numerous projects at various Fraunhofer Institutes can be used. It explains digital and biological transformation as convergent processes and examines the use of biological systems for producing valuable materials. It also describes how biological models, principles and processes are used to create highly functional products and facilitate resource-efficient, connected manufacturing.
The book is the third volume in the series “Fraunhofer research focus – key technologies for business & society” [Fraunhofer-Forschungsfokus – Schlüsseltechnologien für Wirtschaft & Gesellschaft] and is now available in bookstores, also in English. This series is published by Fraunhofer President Professor Reimund Neugebauer (ed.) and publishing house Springer Vieweg Verlag.
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft