Design work can be carried out more efficiently by partially or fully automating recurring processes. With the help of the abstraction step of the ELiSE process, structural features of diatom shells, e.g. ribs and honeycombs, were translated into design algorithms that can be applied to any technical components. The adjacent figure shows an example of the transfer of a pore (A) filled with smaller honeycombs in a diatom shell.

The abstraction of the pattern occurs within a reference prism (B), which can be assembled and smoothed (D) into a polygonal honeycomb (C). The transferability of these adaptable elements to the exemplary surface shown below, which has been subdivided into different sized honeycombs using an area division algorithm, opens up a wide range of applications for diverse requirements of technical components.
Furthermore, the design algorithms are integrated into an automated optimization process, which evaluates a large number of shape characteristics in a finite element simulation with respect to mass, deformation under load and mechanical stresses. This results in an optimal adaptation of the principles taken from nature to technical application cases.