“What surrounds us is the secret to survival.”— Janine. M. Benyus.

     Imitation is the most sincere action of flattery and for years, humans have been using animals as inspiration for everything from fashion to architecture. In the engineering world, this is called bio-mimicry. (Interested students may do courses on “Biomimetics”!) Here are the most brilliant examples.

Mosquitoes

   Mosquitoes suck our blood with less pain. Scientists used their sneaky biting ability to make needles less painful for humans. Researchers at Kansai University in Japan took cues from the mosquito’s needle-like mouth to design a minimally invasive, three-pronged needle. The needle also vibrates slightly at about 15 Hz. mimicking a real bite that eases the needle into the skin with less pain.

Kingfisher

  Two decades ago, when new high-speed trains of Japanese entered a tunnel, they....