Biomimicry, Biofabrication, and Biohybrid Systems: The Emergence and Evolution of Biological Design

The discipline of biological design has a relatively short history, but has undergone very rapid expansion and development over that time. This Progress Report outlines the evolution of this field from biomimicry to biofabrication to biohybrid systems' design, showcasing how each subfield incorporates bioinspired dynamic adaptation into engineered systems. Ethical implications of biological design are discussed, with an emphasis on establishing responsible practices for engineering non-natural or hypernatural functional behaviors in biohybrid systems. This report concludes with recommendations for implementing biological design into educational curricula, ensuring effective and responsible practices for the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Dynamic problems require adaptive solutions. This Progress Report outlines the development of adaptive biomimetic and biohybrid systems for targeting engineering grand challenges, as well as the microfabrication and biofabrication technologies that have enabled these advances. In this report, the authors discuss the ethics of biological forward design, and propose educational practices that could enable future progress in this field.

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