Industrial Design for bio-inspired solutions in coastal protection

Coastal erosion, extreme climatic events, and biodiversity loss are major consequences of climate change, posing significant threats to both the environment and society. Addressing these challenges has led to a growing focus within industrial design on innovative, interdisciplinary approaches inspired based bioinspired design. Natural ecosystems have evolved over millions of years to create highly efficient structures that dissipate wave energy, stabilize shorelines, and support biodiversity, offering valuable models for sustainable coastal protection. These biological principles serve as a reference model for the design of high-performance and sustainable coastal defense solutions. This study reviews the state of the art in coastal protection systems and introduces the conceptual development and preliminary experimental validation of simplified bioinspired models designed to enhance shoreline resilience. The hydraulic efficiency of these models was assessed through experimental testing, exploring their potential as innovative mitigation strategies against irregular and extreme wave conditions. This research contributes to the development of next-generation submerged barriers, inspired by the morphology and functionality of natural systems, constructed from sustainable materials, and optimized for both hydraulic efficiency and ecological support. Following a top-down approach, key functional traits of biological structures were analyzed, abstracted, and translated into three distinct bioinspired design solutions for coastal protection. The results provide a foundation for advancing sustainable coastal protection strategies, demonstrating the added value of bioinspired solutions in enhancing both shoreline resilience and ecological integration.