简介：Thenaturalworldspentbillionsofyearsinsolution-findingduringevolution,whichcouldbenefitTechnology.Howdoweputthatinanutshell?Biologicalsystemsaremorecomplexthanthemostcomplexcurrenttechnology.Anygivenfunctionandeffectaresimultaneouslycoordinatedandlinkedwithothersatmanylevelsofbiologicalorganisation-fromcellorganelletoorganism,topopulationandecosystem.Technologydoesnothavetoolstodealwiththecomplexityand"goalintendedness"oflivingsystems.Butlimitsforinteractionexistonbothsides-Biologicalscienceitselfisalsotooempiricalandnotmatureenoughtoprovideasolidbaseforcorrelatinglivingwithtechnicalsystems.Movingtowardsasynthesis,whereengineerscanutilizethevastamountofavailablebiologicaldata,wesuggestusingatoolcalled"TheoryofInventiveProblemSolving"(TRIZ)andclarifyingsomeimportantmethodologicalissues,whichhavenotpreviouslybeenrecognisedinbionicengineering:1)Requirenentformoreappropriatedefinitionsof"system","effect","function","law"and"rule".2)Requirementforunderstandingorevenmeasuringthedegreeofcontradictionoranalogybetweenfunctionsinbiologicalandartificialand/ornon-livingengineeringsystem-thereisnosimpledirectcorrelationbetweenwhatengineersfindusefulandwhatbiologydoes.