From porcupine quills to surgical stitches

摘要

Taking inspiration from nature seems very popular right now. Why is that? Bio-inspiration is an idea that has been around a long time, but it's only recently that we've seen tangible examples applied to everyday problems and actively shared by social media. Based on the super-hydrophobic properties of lotus leaves, surfaces have been developed that can repel water - and they may one day make windshield wipers more effective or even unnecessary; tree frog toes have inspired tyre treads; and several research groups have mimicked gecko adhesion to create tapes that allows robots to climb walls. It's supercool.