Biomechanics of biomimetic and bioinspired systems: Innovation inspired by nature

Mimicking Nature becomes very popular in technology, however the approaches used for bio-imitation are not clearly defined especially in bioengineering and biomedical sciences. Most of the time, these scientific fields apply imitation principles but the interest of biomechanical assessment is underestimated. There are three main ways to mimic biological systems : biomimicry, biomimetics and bioinspiration. But most importantly, the biological system must be understood, especially regarding the pivotal question of the structure-function-property relationships. In this task, the complexity of biological entities often requires a simplification that can be achieved with the bio-mimetic approach. Once the fundamental biological principles are understood, they can be mimicked through the bioinspiration approach to conceive cutting-edge technologies. At term, these innovative approaches will provide a new frame for the biome-chanically rational design of biomedical devices.