Bioxegy Leverages Natural Selection to Engineer Innovation

Bioxegy, a Paris-based engineering consultancy, is on a mission to bridge the gap between biology and industry. France’s leading expert in biomimicry, the company helps clients across aerospace, energy, transportation, and consumer goods unlock innovative new product ideas by studying nature’s most efficient, elegant designs.

 Bioxegy operates like a research lab for applied biomimicry. Founder and CEO Sidney Rostan describes the company’s mission: “Biomimicry is an approach to research and development that involves drawing inspiration from nature’s ingenuity to innovate.” Bioxegy’s work is rooted in a simple but compelling truth: Organisms that survive and thrive over millions of years tend to function in incredibly optimized ways. That’s why Rostan and his team study jellyfish for flow mechanics, sharkskin for drag reduction, and owl wings for silent airflow and translate their insights into working industrial solutions.

Bioxegy’s industrial partners expect measurable results regarding specific, often complex performance problems—from cooling systems to noise reduction to energy savings. “Our clients’ R&D teams send us technical challenges related to their products and systems,” explains Rostan, “and our engineers explore the intelligence of biology to develop relevant, intelligent, and sustainable technologies.”

That work takes more than inspiration. It demands tight collaboration, rigorous testing, and modern engineering tools that can keep up with a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment. That’s why Bioxegy relies heavily on SOLIDWORKS® 3D CAD and SIMULIA® simulation on the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform from Dassault Systèmes.

Simulation-Driven Design Inspired by Biology

Bioxegy’s projects rarely correspond with a single discipline. “What makes our approach so solid, above all, is that it combines multiple sectors,” explains Lead Project Manager Geoffroy Lesot. “The areas we work in could just as easily be acoustics, mechanics, fluid mechanics, or thermodynamics.”

To handle this complexity, the team leans on SOLIDWORKS for day-to-day 3D modeling and concept development and then turns to the specialized SIMULIA roles within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to simulate real-world conditions. From structural stress testing to simulating airflow across wing-shaped surfaces, Bioxegy uses simulation not only to validate but to shape their designs.

Senior Project Engineer Clément Norodom, who leads modeling and simulation efforts, says, “We use SOLIDWORKS every day for modeling, and for more specialized roles, we use Dassault Systèmes mechanics or fluid mechanics modules.” These tools help Bioxegy engineers predict how nature-inspired shapes will behave under real-world conditions before prototypes are built.

One standout example is a recent project with RATP, the Paris transit authority, to develop a bio-inspired fan system. Owl wings that generate lift with minimal noise were the inspiration. “We used SOLIDWORKS to design the fan and the SIMULIA fluid dynamics roles to iterate on this design and obtain quantified results,” Norodom explains.

Why the Cloud Matters in Modern Engineering

Designing complex systems inspired by living organisms takes not just raw computing power but seamless communication among engineers, researchers, and clients. That’s where cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE is a real asset.

“The advantages of a cloud-connected solution are, first of all, access to a high-performance computer cluster that would otherwise be unavailable to us,” says Norodom. “Second, storing and managing data in the cloud facilitates and improves the flow of communications among the various project participants at Bioxegy.”

For a small team that’s taking on large-scale industrial problems, the flexibility and scalability of cloud tools are essential. “The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides us with technical advantages, reliability, and the solid reputation enjoyed by Dassault Systèmes, but also the flexibility that is key for our projects and our methods,” adds Lesot.

Beyond client projects, Bioxegy is starting to channel its nature-inspired philosophy into internal R&D efforts, particularly in sustainable design. “Over the long term, Bioxegy’s goal is also to develop our own internal R&D projects, especially around sustainable technologies,” notes Rostan. The goal is to move from nature-inspired problem solving to nature-inspired product development by designing and building original, eco-efficient solutions that reduce emissions, conserve energy, and minimize waste.

In nature, form follows function in the most efficient way possible. By pairing evolutionary insight with powerful simulation and modeling tools, Bioxegy helps solve engineering challenges with nature’s elegance and performance.