Biomimicry

Geckos are able to maintain a grip on wet surfaces not because their toe pads repel water, but because they attract it. A new polymer, which was inspired by this phenomenon, could find use in shoe soles that keep people from slipping on ice.

A study suggests that a certain salamander may be able to control its grip on trees' bark by pumping blood in and out of the tips of its toes. This strategy could one day be copied in human technology such as prosthetic hands and reusable adhesives.

With sights set firmly on supporting the development of hybrid boats, BlueNav has integrated its unique whale-inspired hubless electric drive into a new smart propulsion system with both ICE and electric power.

Pine cones are pretty smart for things with no brains, enough so that scientists have copied them to create a unique window shading system. The setup blocks sunlight in the summer and lets it through in the winter, without using any electricity.

If you're setting out to build an underwater robot that's speedy, maneuverable and versatile, why not just copy what already works in the natural world? That's exactly what Beatbot has done, with its bio-inspired Amphibious RoboTurtle.

It was just two years ago that a tiny robotic manta ray became the world's fastest-swimming soft-bodied robot. Well, one of its descendants has now smashed that record – and it uses less energy than its predecessor, to boot.

While autonomous flying robots have some intriguing potential applications, their usefulness is limited if they can't move across uneven terrain once they land. A new bio-inspired bot can do so, however, by mimicking the gait of the raven.

Even if you don't know what 3D microfluidic networks are, that doesn't change the fact that they have some very valuable possible uses. Scientists have now devised a much easier method of making the things, by taking casts of plant roots.

If you're a surfer who doesn't want to be attacked by great white sharks, your surfboard should be as dark and stealthy as possible … right? Perhaps not, as a new Australian study suggests that a lit-up board may be better at keeping the sharks away.

When disaster strikes, drones and robots can be sent into danger zones to scout for survivors. The RoBoa from a student team at ETH Zurich is designed to snake its way through debris that would stop other solutions in their tracks.

Ice wreaks havoc on surfaces, but we might have a new way to prevent it building up. Scientists at Northwestern University have shown that textured surfaces with thin layers of graphene oxide can stay completely frost-free for long periods.

Mahle has been hard at work on next-gen e-drive systems, and it's also been exploring other electrification components. It has revealed a thermal management fan that borrows from nature to provide smoother, quieter, more efficient performance.