A Slick Idea for Biomimetics

Biomimetics (or biomimicry) is the concept of getting ideas from nature and building practical applications for our use. Usually, the owlhoots give credit to the puny god of evolution for the design in nature. (In academia, this theft of credit is called plagiarism.)

Image credit: Elizabeth Hertel / US National Park Service
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Moving on, pitcher — I mean, picture this: a slick surface is needed. Sure, we get those, they repel water. But how about repelling other fluids as well? And repair itself? Such a thing is happening, inspired by our Creator's handiwork on the pitcher plant.

We have probably all seen the sign, “Caution—slippery surface,” and likely experienced the slipperiness of a wet floor firsthand. Not surprisingly, surfaces which repel fluids efficiently are correspondingly slippery, and such surfaces can have many useful applications in industry.

Vast amounts of money are spent each year in developing materials that are more and more repellent. Researchers have developed materials that are very good at repelling water on its own.

Scientists and design engineers have increasingly been copying designs from nature, in a rapidly growing field known as biomimetics—and surfaces are part of this trend.

To finish reading, slide on over to "Caution—slippery surface".