The Winner of the Biomimicry & Mobility 2025 Design Challenge Announced

The Automotive World is Engaging with Nature and Biomimicry as an R & D Lab

Designers from the DesignLA Board of Directors, at the LA Auto Show Competition, have chosen the winner of this year's automotive design challenge titled Biomimicry & Mobility 2025. Competitors from around the world were invited to join the challenge that would use biomimicry, using models from nature, to create a vehicle to increase human mobility and efficiency. As stated on their website, "The winning entry will identify issues facing mobility like congestion, pollution, sustainability, flexibility and safety and to design a mobility solution that mimics nature to solve the challenges."

The following nine entries were submitted (along with 3 more displays):

Click here to see all the designs and their drawings

JAC Mortors R&D Center (Japan)-created a "mobility solution" based on an eco-system, with a symbiosis between its environment and the vehicle, having a power grid that supports the system with automated traffic, lights, avoidance of traffic jams, and self-energizing.

Mazda Design Americas (USA)- designed a vehicle called "AUTO ADAPT" based on insect adaptation. It can adapt between being autonomous to manual and back.

Subaru Global Design Team (Japan)- looking like a human-machine hybrid this "personal mobility vehicle" mimics the propulsion of a kangaroo, and fits onto a human's body, allowing them to hop and move freely. It's called the SUBA-ROO (pun intended).

BMW Group Design Works USA (USA)- using the concept of swarming technology and cellular energy creation this team created a vehicle for LA's subways that would run on water channels.

SAIC Motor (China)- this design was inspired by an ant's body and the mutualistic relationship between ants and trumpet trees. The design has features similar to that of ants, with biofuel "stomachs" and ant like feet for gripping the road. (WINNER)

BMW Group Design Works USA (USA)- S.E.E.D or the Sustainable Efficient Exploratory Device was created by BMW to help navigate inhospitable environments in space. It is based on the design of a maple seed and uses solar, wind, and gravity energy.

Qoros Auto (China)- the "Silk Road System" designed by this group is a combination of operational system for allowing vehicles to move smoothly along with vehicles and "bots" as drivers and navigators. This system was based on silk worms and their webs.

Changfeng Mortor Corporation (China)- inspired by a hollow reed the design of this vehicle is both spiral and appears almost muscular like the muscular structure of a human. At the same time it closely resembles a grasshopper and it is designed to run, hop, swim, climb, and jump. It's hard to describe the complex vision of this vehicle.

Calty Design Research/Toyota Design Network (USA)- designed to be a "hyper-commuter" vehicle the "e-grus" focuses on long distance travel and sability. It's long and narrow with a pod like body that inclines. It is inspired by the form of a crane.

The three design companies that displayed at the show included: Nissan Design America, Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center California, and the Hyundai Design and Research Center. (PR News Wire)

The winner of this year's challenge was the SAIC Motor Group and their vehicle based on the body of an ant andits symbiotic relationship with the trumpet tree. The complex nature of the round abouts and paths proposed for this vehicle look like the structure of bones and have the curves of marrow. The proposed vehicle itself looks like modern race car with wheel spokes that look like pitcher plants flattened at the top.

For those you who know me you know that biomimicry is near and dear to my heart. The field of biomimicry looks to nature and its plants, animals, and ecosystems to solve modern problems. Nature has resolved many of the issues we currently face and it's time we look to the R&D that nature has been doing for the past millions of years to help us solve our current problems in an environmentally sustainable way.We can't just beat, heat, and treat all the metals and materials of the world, we have to learn how to create with no waste in a way that is biodegradable and energy efficient. This design challenge is on the way to integrating the principles of biomimicry into our present and future.

Want to learn more about biomimicry? Visit the Biomimicry Institute's website at http://biomimicry.net/about/.