Education and Consulting
PHYLLO works with students learning biomimicry and with company researchers solving product problems.
For students we help choose invention topics and design experiments.
For researchers we provide principles and design proposals for product and service problems.
Apply for a course or consulting to find the answer you need.
π Need training?
See the coursesπ§βπ¬ Need consulting?
See consultingBiomimicry courses
Learn the four steps and practise moving principles into product design. There are three courses by level and purpose.
All courses use real organism records and papers, and each team finishes with at least one prototype.
Course record
- Junior Program (2021β2026) β schools and public, 42 courses
- Beginner Program (2019β2026) β universities, 27 courses (1,080 hours)
- Practitioner Program (2019β2026) β companies and labs, 15 courses (1,200 hours)
Levels differ, the goal is the same:
finish with at least one idea or prototype.
| Five steps | JuniorJunior | BeginnerBeginner | PractitionerPractitioner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Strategy Choose the problem | Pick and phrase the problem | Define problem, value analysis | |
| 2. Discover Find causes | Cause analysis, related tech, function analysis | Root cause, key tech, task & constraint analysis | |
| 3. Define Find organisms, extract principles | Observe organisms, learn principles | Search traits, summarise principles | Search by function, expert review, principle analysis |
| 4. Develop Build solutions | Hands-on principle model | Solution matrix | Solution matrix, principle map |
| 5. Deliver Make it a product | Prototype, filing or report (optional) | Business model, constraint check, prototype |
Junior Program
Biomimetic invention for middle and high school students
Students observe local organisms and build a prototype that solves an everyday problem. 12 hours, with the most time on observation.
Beginner Program
Biomimetic engineering design for undergraduates
Students learn design methods and 20 case studies, then build a team prototype. 40 hours, with the most time on creation.
Practitioner Program
Design course for company designers and researchers
Participants bring a real project, define functions, search organisms and draft a business model. 80 hours, with the most time on extraction and transition.
Biomimicry consulting
Hand a problem to our researchers and receive leads or design proposals. A biologist and an engineer work as one team; the first report arrives within four weeks.
Consulting record
- Quieter cooling fans for home appliances (2025β2026)
- Low-drag hull surface for small ferries (2025)
- Fog-collecting façade panel feasibility study (2024)
- Impact liner redesign for cycling helmets (2024)
- Anti-glare cover film for outdoor displays (2023)
- Heat spreader channel layout for battery packs (2023)
- Wet-surface adhesive patch concept for wound care (2022)
- Passive ventilation plan for a logistics warehouse (2021)
We use PHYLLOβs computational biomimetic design process,
run by researchers in problem solving, biology and mechanical engineering.
Computational Biomimetic Design
issues
analysis
story
tech
tech
cause
analysis
analysis
straints
search
matrix
map
prototype
test
prototype
servicepro.phyllo-lab.kr
Looking for a research topic?
By PHYLLOβs patent index, biomimetic filings in 2024 were about eleven times those in 2004. We use 2.13 million species records with papers and patents to find untested combinations, and connect you with biologists where needed.
π¬ Apply for research consulting >>Need a product idea?
Four steps: define functions, search organisms, extract principles and review prototype conditions. We have worked in chemicals, materials, machinery, aerospace and construction; the first report arrives within four weeks.
π‘ Apply for corporate consulting >>Need design references?
We collect forms, colours, structures and textures of organisms by theme into a report, with photo sources, scientific names and dimensions.
π¨ Apply for design references >>Biomimicry QnA
A: It is a way of designing products and processes by taking principles from the form, structure, materials and behaviour of living things. It moves the principle, not the organism, which sets it apart from bio-based materials.
A: Usually not. Lotus-effect coatings copy the size and spacing of surface bumps, not lotus chemistry, so manufacturers can choose materials that suit mass production.
A: Yes. A building ventilated like a termite mound looks nothing like a mound. As long as the working principle holds, the form follows product requirements.
A: Candidates are narrowed by function. For a noise problem we start with birds and insects that fly quietly. PHYLLOβs knowledge service lets you search organisms by function.
A: We break the problem into functions and search papers and patents for organisms that perform them, recording structure, dimensions, materials and conditions.
A: Check scale and conditions first. Many biological structures only work at a certain size or environment, so we test scaled models before designing.
A: We use four steps: observation, extraction, transition and creation. Record sheets for each step are in the worksheets.
A: It adds candidates for problems that standard engineering has not solved. It is not needed for every project.
A: Misreading a principle leads to a faulty design. PHYLLO consulting teams include both biologists and engineers.
A: Organisms cannot, but structures and methods derived from them can. By PHYLLOβs count, biomimetic filings grew about elevenfold between 2004 and 2024.
A: Some cases cut resource use, such as low-energy cooling and structures that need less material. The effect has to be measured product by product.
For other questions, please use Contact Us.