Buzz
Since the dawn of humanity, we have been fascinated by nature's incredible innovations. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors learned from the strategies of predators—how they thought, hunted, and stalked their prey. Even with all our modern technology, nature still holds a timeless allure. Many groundbreaking inventions have been inspired by techniques observed in the natural world, from plants to animals.
10. Water Harvesting Material - Namib Desert Beetle
The African Namib Desert, where rain is scarce, is a harsh landscape. Yet, each morning, a thin veil of fog drifts over the hot sand dunes. This is the ideal habitat for the Namib Desert beetle.
As water droplets from the fog land on the beetle’s shell, the water-repellent ridges guide the drops toward its head. The shell features tiny hydrophilic nubs that help the moisture grow larger until it slides down to the beetle’s mouth, effectively providing it with water.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have replicated this natural process to develop a material capable of harvesting water from the air. Composed of glass and plastic and designed with similar tiny ridges, the spongy material is affordable and can be easily produced by printing hydrophilic dots onto hydrophobic surfaces.
If a camping tent were designed with this surface, it could collect enough water each morning for an entire day’s worth of use. Additionally, the beetle’s ability to withstand intense heat may inspire the use of infrared reflectors on its shell for heat-resistant applications, such as in rocket engineering.
9. Living Microbots - Lamprey
It would certainly be much easier if doctors could enter your body and identify the exact cause of pain or illness. Traditional imaging methods often produce low-quality, blurry results, and MRI machines are cumbersome and costly.
The upcoming creation of robots small enough to move through your bloodstream will significantly simplify medical procedures. Cyberplasm is one such robot that is 'alive' in a sense.
Equipped with sensors derived from actual mammalian cells, it reacts to light and chemicals just as a living organism would. Complete with eye and nose sensors, this tiny robot features an artificial, glucose-powered nervous system that processes stimuli, transforming them into electrical signals like a real brain.
Cyberplasm is inspired by the lamprey, a parasitic fish with a long, tubular shape. This creature has a basic nervous system, making it easier to replicate and incorporate into a robotic design. Eventually, the lamprey-inspired robot could navigate your body, searching for tumors, blood clots, or chemicals.
8. Robotic Arm - Elephant
Elephant trunks, made up of over 40,000 muscles, are as dexterous as human hands, capable of picking apples from trees or uprooting entire trees. Their remarkable versatility has served as inspiration for a robotic arm. The German company Festo has created the Bionic Handling Assistant, a robotic appendage designed to enhance human-machine collaboration in handling tasks.
Equipped with four metallic claws, the robot learns in the same way a human baby does—by trial and error. Through constant reaching and grabbing, it determines which muscles to engage. The robot is able to remember changes in its position by sensing pressure adjustments within the tubes that power its artificial muscles.
Made from polyamide, this material is both strong enough to lift heavy objects and flexible enough to carry out delicate tasks, such as picking up an egg. The trunk proves to be useful in factories, laboratories, and hospitals, providing extra handling power for human-guided tasks.
7. Bullet Trains - Kingfisher and Owl
As Japan’s high-speed bullet trains emerge from tunnels, they generate a loud 'tunnel boom' because of the design of the train’s nose. The rapid movement of the train forces air forward, creating a wall of wind that generates noise and consumes extra fuel by slowing the train down.
The solution? Take a cue from nature’s designs.
Kingfishers feature a sleek beak that aids in efficient fishing. With its pointed nose, the bird can dive into water without making a splash. The shape of the beak allows water to flow around it rather than being forced forward, reducing the impact.
Eiji Nakatsu, an engineer and bird-watching enthusiast, adapted the bullet train’s rounded nose to mirror the kingfisher’s beak. This change enables the train to reach speeds of 300 kilometers per hour (185 mph) while reducing energy consumption and air drag.
Moreover, the owl’s stealthy flight pattern also helped reduce the train’s loud noise. The design of the train’s nose was modified to resemble the owl’s feathers, which are so quiet that they can sneak up on even the most cautious mice.
6. Squishy Robots: Octopus
Why must robots be rigid and metallic? A research team from Italy explored the benefits of the octopus’ soft, flexible body. Capable of swimming, grasping, and crawling, the octopus-inspired robot requires far less computational power to operate.
Unlike traditional robots with fixed movements, the octopus robot is fluid in its motions, shrinking, undulating, and curling. Without rigid limbs or joints, this flexibility offers a significant advantage.
Unlike traditional robots with rigid skeletons, which require extensive programming to prevent them from colliding with objects, these machines often become unpredictable and can even pose a danger to humans and unfamiliar environments.
Soft robots are considerably safer. Their ability to contort into different shapes allows them to adapt seamlessly to their surroundings. This flexibility makes them capable of tasks like rescuing trapped individuals, engaging with humans, and operating without prior programming.
5. Cyborg Flowers: Rose
Did you know that roses have the ability to conduct electricity?
A team of researchers led by Magnus Berggren in Sweden achieved this remarkable feat by inserting tiny wires through the plant's vascular system. After immersing the roses in a solution of organic polymer, they peeled back the bark to uncover the delicate polymer 'wires' that wound their way through the stems. These wires were later proven to be electronically conductive.
This technique allowed the researchers to control the roses' physiological processes, such as preventing them from blooming before a frost or protecting them from drought. These adjustments do not affect the plant's fruits or seeds.
While permanent alterations could harm ecosystems, this invention can easily be toggled on or off, offering flexibility and control.
4. Germ-Repellent Catheters: Sharks
Sharkskin, known for its smoothness and resilience, has been used for various applications—from swimsuits to shoes. However, its role in catheters was an unexpected discovery.
Germs are a constant concern in hospitals. With the constant flow of people, it’s easy for surfaces to become contaminated, leading to the spread of diseases from one patient to another.
Engineer Tony Brennan found that sharkskin is unmatched in cleanliness. Its surface is covered with tiny, tooth-like scales that prevent slime, algae, and barnacles from adhering to the sharks’ bodies. Remarkably, sharkskin also has the ability to stop harmful bacteria, such as E. coli, from spreading.
Sharklet is a company that is utilizing this concept to great effect. So far, their efforts have proven successful. Their next innovation involves creating catheters made from sharkskin, which could help prevent infections commonly associated with medical procedures.
3. Better X-Ray Vision Lobster
X-ray technology can be cumbersome, which is why airport X-ray machines are so large. However, scientists are now drawing inspiration from lobster eyes to improve X-ray vision for better clarity and precision.
Unlike the bending of light through a lens, lobsters rely on reflection to see. Their eyes are covered in square structures, resembling flat mirrors, which reflect light at specific angles, enabling them to capture images from all directions.
This unique design has proven valuable for astronomers, who are in search of telescopes that can focus X-rays from particular areas of space. While a typical mirror would allow X-rays to pass through, the lobster’s eye structure has inspired the creation of tiny, square, hollow tubes made of lead glass. Curved into spheres resembling eyes, this material reflects X-rays and is integrated into telescopes.
The lobster’s eye has also led to the development of other technologies, such as microchips and the Lobster Eye X-ray Imaging Device—a “flashlight” capable of seeing through steel walls up to 8 centimeters (3 inches) thick.
When this device emits a series of low-power X-rays through a wall, some rays bounce back from objects on the other side. These reflected signals are channeled through the tubes to generate images, mimicking the lobster's eye function. This technology could be pivotal in detecting stolen or illegal goods.
2. Robot That Leaps On Water Water Strider
Pond-skimmer insects can walk on water due to a phenomenon known as surface tension, where the molecules on the surface of the liquid stick together through a force called cohesion.
A lightweight robot has been developed that can leap, instead of walking, on water. Weighing only 68 milligrams, this soft-bodied robot stands out from others that can walk on water because it can actually jump across the surface without sinking.
This innovation was inspired by the behavior of water striders. These insects gradually accelerate their legs, maintaining contact with the water until they are ready to leap. They apply the precise amount of force to keep the surface tension intact and unbroken.
By adopting this approach, the robot applies just enough torque to leap without breaking the water’s surface tension. This technique, similar to the way a flea moves, allows the robot to jump an impressive 14 centimeters (6 in). This compact bot could be valuable for surveillance and rescue missions.
1. Vaccine, DNA, and Stem Cell Preservation: Resurrection Plants, Tardigrades, and More
Resurrection plants, a species of desert moss, survive extreme hibernation by drying out in harsh temperatures. Although they appear dead for years or even decades, when the rains arrive, they spring back to life and become lush and green once again.
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are among the toughest creatures on Earth. They’ve been sent into outer space, survived extreme conditions such as absolute zero and 150°C (300°F), withstood radiation, and gone for years without water.
In response to harsh conditions, water bears shrink and enter a state of dormancy. They revive and rehydrate when their environment becomes favorable once again. Other creatures like brine shrimp, nematodes, and baker’s yeast use similar survival strategies.
During these experiments, these organisms replace all the water in their bodies with sugar. As the sugar hardens into a glass-like form, they enter a state of suspended animation. While this method can be deadly to humans, it’s a breakthrough for preserving vaccines, DNA, and stem cells for extended periods.
Every year, two million children die from diseases that could easily be prevented. Vaccines often spoil quickly in hot climates, but with this sugar preservation technique, vaccines are transformed into microscopic beads that significantly extend their shelf life, allowing them to last for years.
