The most remarkable animal-inspired technologies that changed the face of the earth and encouraged us to lead a better life.
You must have heard the phrase- Nature is the best architect. But what we did not realize till the recent time is, nature is an even better engineer!
Be it the tiniest microbe or the humongous whale, everything that exists in nature is a work of delicate machinery that has inspired scientists to adapt their mechanism in modern age projects. Here are some animals that inspired technology that has come to be very handy in our everyday survival.
Mosquito- Surgical Needle
Parasites are as annoying as they can be, especially when you want to doze off and they want to achieve a solo racket in your ears! However, we must give them due credit for inspiring scientists to create smooth injection needles. The scientists mimicked proboscis of mosquitos into designing a three prongs syringe that will vibrate at 15 Hz, making the pain minimalistic while drawing blood out of your body or injecting fluids.
Fireflies- LED Bulbs
Who would have imagined that fireflies would inspire illumination of the contemporary era! The lanterns of these bugs have microstructures that allow more light to escape from its body, keeping 90% of its light extracted for the environment.
Mussels- Adhesive
Even though we don’t come in contact with underwater sea creatures every day, but we have seen in documentaries how mussels attach themselves to wet surfaces. Scientists have cracked the code and created a biometric polymer-based adhesive for commercial use that is the sturdiest glue ever produced.
Camel- Saltwater Irrigation
The ship of the desert is the most massive animals whose body has entirely adapted to the harsh environment of the desert. The secret to surviving through the water constraints is, they exhale air at night extracting water vapour from the air and holding on to the water molecules to keep them hydrated. Scientists have used the same formula to separate water from saltwater to irrigate plants in deserts.
Hummingbird- Helicopter
You may have noticed that hummingbird hovers forth and back when they search for nectar in flowers. Scientists have studied that the toque ratio greatly affected the movement of the bird. The lesser size used lesser power, and helicopters today are being modified by using the same technique.
Cod Fish- Anti Blood Clot
The Arctic cod have accustomed to the icy waters by producing glycoproteins that keep blood from clotting and supports circulation. This adaptation has inspired scientists to create polyvinyl alcohol that will prevent blood stored in blood banks from freezing and terminating cells.
