Biodynamics

Biodynamics on a broader perception can be defined as the study of physical motion in living systems.

The term, in addition, can also be used to refer to spiritual-ethical ecological approach to agriculture or

simply a method of organic farming that involves such factors as the use of ritual substances

incantations as well as the observation of both planetary cycles and lunar phases. This article, however,

will focus on biodynamics as the study of dynamics or physical motion in living systems, it will further

seek to evaluate the various characteristics that make living systems not only so complex but also

unique when compared to other systems.

Livings systems are complex systems that might be quite hard to understand despite the fact that they

conform to the natural laws of both chemistry and physics. However, while these laws might help one to

anticipate their behavior, they do not in any way explain their behavior and how each part of the

complex system interacts with another in a participatory setting where the interactions of the systems

generate unforeseeable emergent properties.

Through biodynamics, biologists have been able to formulate experiments that help increase the

understanding and control of key biological processes of living systems. From these experiments, several

living systems characteristics standout such as transformational properties, reaction properties as well

as dynamics and emergent across scales properties. These characteristics or properties well define not

only the biodynamics of the living systems but also the working of the overall system.

The study of biodynamics is a science that has sought to demystify the complexities associated with the

workings of a living system.  While biology has tried to explore living systems through a study of the

component parts that make up a living system, it has failed to reveal the basic principles that a person

might use to well comprehend how the processes or how exactly a living system works. This failure to a

great extent can be attributed to the fact that it is impossible to reduce the workings of a cell to a few

formative principles as is the case in most physics and chemistry laws since all cells possess unique

characteristics that not only distinguish it from others but also specialize it for its given function. For one

to effectively study the dynamics of living systems, it is imperative that they take a look at these

characteristics.

Transformational Properties

The transformational properties of living systems can be best seen from a short analysis of the DNA

where biological information in the DNA originates from one point, is translated, then expressed into

other forms, hence the DNA is commonly seen as a transformational system since the living organism

translates the DNA sequence data containing the genetic ‘plan’ into its physical composition in a series

of transformational steps or a cyclical transformation of the information, from this percept, it is clear

that the living systems are defined by their orderly, homeostatic, sequential transmutation or

transformation of data into phonotypes from the genes. The interactions between these cells and the

contracting feedback loops create a cyclic transformation of the DNA information thereby generating

the evolution of an unchanging system and balances adaption of the living-system to its ever varying

surrounding conditions.

Reaction properties

Apart from the sequential, transformational system, the complex living system can also be defined as an

extremely coincident reactive system. A system that is considered reactive does not acquit itself in

accordance to a pre-defined set of instructions instead it acts in a reaction to a given set of inputs with

respects to the inputs arrival order, speed and timing. For example, a mammalian immune response

consists of highly sophisticated cell types that are able to not only recognize but also eliminate diverse

invading pathogens through the interaction of numerous cell types release various mediators. unlike the

stable transformational system, a reactive system has no set point of rest and does not reach a state of

rest, it is usually, rather, in a constant reaction and it is only through this concurrent reaction that it

manages to hold stay in concert with other subsystems, it therefore does not seek to be at an

equilibrium.

Living systems constantly react to simultaneous perturbations and through their reaction, they continue

to survive, without reaching homeostasis. While it might be noted that some internal subsystems can be

described as homeostatic such as thermoregulatory systems that keep a body’s internal temperature at

370C, it is important to note that these subsystems only act in a homeostatic manner when viewed as a

whole, internally, the system cells of these processes are engaged in constant reactions.

Dynamic properties

Dynamics refers to the capacity of an object or thing to vary with time. It is the essence or is the core of

the reactive system; a living system varies with time in response to various external or internal factors as

or in a bid to adapt to new surroundings. A living system is never static it changes depending on factors

it has been exposed to an example is the pupil of the eye, the pupil when exposed to a surrounding with

increased light, it constricts while when exposed to decreased light it dilates.

Living systems are not only flexible but bear the ability to quickly adapt to changing conditions to ensure

that they are able to optimally function in the current external environmental conditions and to ensure

that the external conditions do not adversely affect the internal conditions or workings of the cell. An

example of this is when one is dipped into cold water, since the optimal body temperature is 370C the

cells responsible for thermoregulation will work extra hard to ensure that they generate enough heat to

maintain the body temperature at 370C and not allow it to drop simply because the external

environment has grown colder.

emergence across scales property

An emergent property of a system refers to the behavior of the system taken as a whole and not the

single behavior of the single minor cells that comprise the system. Living systems are made up of various

small specialized cells that contribute to the overall efficient working of the system that is a system

emerges from the interactions of the different cells.

The idea of scales or levels in living systems stems from the fact that a living system is made up of

several lower level systems that is to say, the essence of emergence emanates from the interaction of

objects. For example, an organ emerges or is made up of cells that are in constantly interacting to make

up that organ, while a cell is consequently made up of molecules that are in a constant state of

interactions with each other, simply lower level interactions create higher level objects.

In conclusion, biodynamics as a study of the dynamics of living systems seeks to explore and analyze the

reasons and cause for these characteristics as seen in the components that make up the living systems,

for example, it is the goal of biodynamics to comprehend how the interactions and concurrent reactions

of the different lower level cells generate the visible properties evinced by the higher levels organs.

Biodynamics therefore is an area of study that requires a lot more experiments and studies to facilitate a

deeper comprehension of the workings of these systems as this will to a large extent revolutionize

biotechnology as a discipline as well as health sciences.

relations between design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes

A new area of study that is quickly gaining popularity is the approach to innovation that seeks to

solve human challenges by emulating nature’s strategies and patterns and coming up with self-

sustaining solutions. Biomimicry is defined as the contrive and production of systems, structures

and materials that are simulated on biologic procedures and entities. Through this study,

scientists have been trying to improve existing technology as well as innovate new products,

processes and policies that are well adapted to life on earth. Biomimicry seeks to not only help

people learn from nature but also be able to emulate nature's forms, eco-systems as well as

processes so as to create more sustainable and healthier human technologies and designs. This

article will, therefore, seek to show the relation that exist between design departments and

production departments biomimetic companies

A product design is a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system., it is a plan

or drawing that is produced to show the look and functions of a building, garment or other

objects before they are built. Designing structures, systems and materials that are simulated on

biologic entities and processes is a consuming process as one needs to undertake a lot of research

and development before the design is accepted for production. Therefore, designing in the

biomimicry industry is a strategic activity that requires inputs from different parties including the

production department. Production, on the other hand, refers to the act of making or

manufacturing products from raw materials. For the successful interaction of the two

departments, it is essential that the production department is flexible so that it can easily adapt to

the business strategy being adopted.

While these two departments seem quite different, they are highly interrelated and to a large

extent depend on each other. Additionally, the performance of these two departments is critical

to organizations overall performance. The first basic relationship between the design departments

and production departments of biomimetic industries is the fact that the designs developed by the

designing department of companies in the biomimicry industries provide a concept of the project

while the production department executes these designs. Designs are vision oriented and contain

a detailed description of the final product. Designs are created by designers who understand the

evolution of the target market. They demonstrate the level of the brand through their designs. A

design therefore contains a strategic side of things while the production departments of systems

materials and structures, modeled on biological processes and entities takes the conceptual or

strategic solution and implements the mechanical files for solution.

Designing of systems materials and structures, modeled on biological processes and entities in

most cases necessitates considering the functional, aesthetic socio-political as well as economic

dimensions of both the design object and the process. It will always involve research modeling

and thought as well as interactive adjustment and re-design. However, production only entails

the implementation of the design. Production does not require any research rather the board of

the organization or management convenes to set the general rules that guide the production.

modeled on biological entities and processes

Another aspect that shows the relationship between the design departments and production

departments of systems materials and structures, modeled on biological processes and entities, is

that a design is usually created to compete with the competitors that already exist, hence

designers will most likely travel for inspiration, and creating designs, however, production only

involve the transformation of an input to an output. The main objective of a production is to

ensure that the process has achieved an optimal level. The production process does not compete

with any external competitor. Instead, they try to outdo the set targets and goals.

Designing also interrelates with production through the fact that the development of a new

product must also require the development of a prototype to prove that the new technology is not

only working but can also effectively meet the current needs while performing better than the

existing product. This has to be done before committing resources to full-scale manufacture. In

fact, many scholars have stated that production is an integral part of the design process since

designs are usually a problem-solving exercise that is made up of seven stages namely

•    Design brief

•    Product design specifications

•    Concept designs

•    Testing

•    Detail design

•    Production and further testing

•    Refinement and sales.

The inclusion of the production process under the design umbrella is important especially in this

new field of biomimicry since the product development of any new product must always follow

a sequential process where the outcome of one stage is passed on to the next stage.  This will

tend to lead to an iteration of the design that is beneficial as it will allow for the designer to

easily correct mistakes that have been identified by taking the product back and correcting the

mistakes. Although this might have an effect on the timely delivery of products to the market, it

will go a long way in ensuring that support for the new technology is quickly garnered and

adopted by the customers.

Lastly the relationship between the design departments and production departments of systems

materials and structures, modeled on biological processes and entities can be evinced from the

fact that without the production process what the designers conceptualize will always remain just

an idea and will never be something tangible. The technical knowledge of the production

department is, therefore, pivotal to the design process hence for a product to survive and thrive in

the market, a balance needs to be established to allow for flexibility and growth in this new field

of study so that the designed products fully satisfy the challenges or wants of the customers

while staying true to the biomimicry goal of self-sustenance

In conclusion, the design departments of biomimetic industries and their production departments

are directly related as the production of systems materials and structures, modeled on biological

processes and entities, only produces what the designers have created. Additionally, any

modifications to existing products have to be carried out by the designers before taking them

back to production. The production departments of these biomimetic companies, therefore,

implements the conceptual or strategic plans of the design team. Hence, the two interrelate and

one can’t exist without the other.

art and design... the difference

Many theories have emerged to try explain and hence contribute to a certain level the understanding

between art and design. This however, has had the effect of somewhat complicating the relationship

between art and design hence no clear picture exists of how art and design ultimately differ. According

to some theories, if a design is good enough it becomes an art.

Art can be designed as a lofty design or an expression of an individuals will to society at large, it’s origin

must be of a very personal nature such that only the artist knows the source of his own work. While

artists and designers both create a visual composition using a shared knowledge base, their reasons for

doing so are usually entirely different. This is evidenced by the fact that while most designers consider

themselves as artists, few artists consider themselves as designers.

A common phrase that tries to well differentiate the two is the phrase” while good art inspires, god

design motivates’ basing on this statement, this article will try show the relationship between the two

crafts using their purposes. Usually, the creation of an art starts with nothing, it stems from an opinion

or a perception or even a feeling that the artist holds within themselves and a blank canvas. The purpose

of creation of an art is to enable the artist to share their current feeling with others, so as to allow

others to not only relate with it but also learn and get inspired by it. Historically, the most renowned and

successful work of art today are those that establish the strongest emotional bonds between an

audience and the artist.

This is in contrast with a designer in that when a designer set out to create a new piece or work, they

always start from a fixed perception that is always a message, an image or an idea or even an action, his

purpose is usually not to come up with something novel but to communicate something that already

exists for a given purpose.  This purpose is in most cases to motivate his audience so as to achieve a

given goal. Most designers for example come up with designs to motivate a business’ potential

customers to visit a given location, buy something, learn certain information or even use a service.  A

successful designer is defined by his ability to most effectively communicate their intended message and

motivate their audience so that they carry out his intended task.

Another statement that well tries to show the relationship between art and design, is the statement,

while good art is interpreted, good design is understood. Since art is interpreted, the same piece of art

can be interpreted differently by different people and hence an art can bear various interpretations

depending on the respective audience. Although an artist initially sets out to convey a certain emotion

or viewpoint, the art usually connects with different individuals in different ways since different

individuals interpret it differently and hence the given art does not only bear the single meaning that the

artist set out to convey. An example is the Mona Lisa portrait by Da Vinci, where the lady is smiling.

Various groups of people have come out to explain the reason of her smile, while some say it’s an

illusion, others say she is in love.

Design, however, is different in that if people try to interpret a design then the design has failed in its

purpose. This is because the primary role or the basic function of design is to communicate a given

message so that the audience will be motivated to do something. If a design communicates a different

message other than the intended message, and the audience goes to perform something that they

interpreted the design to mean, then the design has not met what its required. A good design therefore,

enables the viewer to understand the message the designer intended.

A distinct relationship also that exists between art and design is the fact that while art is a taste or

preference, design is judged by opinion. This mirrors the point that art has various interpretations, as

one art is more people particular in that it to a large extent depends on ones likes and dislikes or

preferences rather than the message that the art tries to propagate. Design in addition, has an element

of taste but the difference between a design that people consider good and bad is to a large extent a

matter of their diverse opinions. Theorists, have at times pointed out that art and design are related

with the fact that taste governs opinion and opinion decides whether a design is good or bad hence art

and design are one and the same thing.

Good art is mostly defined as a talent this is mainly because an artist in most cases has a natural ability

and started showing his passion in art from a young age, for example an artist may have grown up

sculpting, drawing or painting and develops their abilities over the years. An artist has an inborn ability

since while good artists have a skill, the artistic skill without talent is debatably worthless.

Design however, is a skill that can be taught and learned, one does not necessarily have to be a great

artist to be considered a great designer, as one simply has to meet the objectives of design to be

considered a great designer. A great designer will in most cases use minimalist styles, texture and color

while optimizing on size, positioning and spacing.

Winding up, while it may be hard to distinguish where design ends and art begins, as at times certain

design works are considered as an art, the distinctions exist in the overall goal of the purpose of the

craft in that while good design broadcasts the same message to all its viewers’ good art transmits

diverse messages to different people. While many designers consider themselves as artists simply

because they create visually attractive pieces, a visual composition that is purposed to achieve a given

task or transmit a given message cannot be considered as an art a but rather a form of communication.

Artists create their work as a means to express their words in ways that words can’t really express, an

art is an expression that can be viewed and appreciated by others, it transmits feelings and not facts.