World Wildlife Day 2020 – 4 revolutionary technologies inspired by nature

Nature and technology are sometimes seen as opposing forces but the natural world inspires countless human inventions.

Today, on World Wildlife Day, reflect on the many ways the ingenuity driving our ground-breaking tech actually belongs to nature itself.

Here are four examples.

1. Drones and swarms

The UK and US are experimenting with interconnected, cooperative drone swarms able to cover large swathes of land, which could have many uses revolutionizing military operations and search-and-rescue efforts.

Experts believe these swarms could communicate with each other in real-time to position themselves in a way that benefits a collective objective.

The key to this technology? Self-organization and military precision, as demonstrated by swarms of bees and flocks of birds.

A group of starlings, for instance, may seem to move with collective intelligence, but they’re actually each responding to very subtle changes in speed and direction. These subtle changes form instructions that ripple across the flock almost instantaneously, and this is what drone researchers are seeking to replicate.

2. Kingfishers and bullet trains

Japan’s famous bullet train is inspired by the kingfisher bird, solving an important problem in the country.

When the bullet train first went into service, it made an incredibly loud boom whenever it travelled through a tunnel. This boom was uncomfortable for those on board, disturbed the local wildlife, and put strain on the physical infrastructure.

The sound was caused by a build-up of air in front of the train that simply didn’t have time to escape as the train entered the tunnel at breakneck speed. When the compressed air finally did escape, it would make a sound similar to that of a gunshot.

This air also created heavy resistance which caused the train to slow down. You could liken it to trying to wade through water as opposed to walking on dry land.

For a solution, experts looked to the kingfisher. Its streamlined beak is optimized for dipping into water quickly, allowing it to catch prey with virtually no resistance. As its beak breaks the surface, water is seamlessly displaced to the sides rather than being forced downward.

The beak's efficient design helped reshape Japan’s bullet trains and eliminate both the pressure increases and the resulting boom.

3. Giant frogs and antibiotics

Antimicrobial resistance, largely caused by decades-long overuse of antibiotics, renders antibiotics virtually ineffective. It’s a huge problem, as outlined by entrepreneur Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio at the 2018 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

While researchers have worked to find a solution, the answer could be hiding in an unlikely source – the giant monkey frogs of the Amazon rainforest.

Frog skin holds 300 different antimicrobial peptides that target viruses and bacteria. In total it’s thought the Amazon could be home to up to 25% – or more than 282,000 – of the known natural compounds needed to create new and improved medicines, including antibiotics.

In a bid to track life there, the Amazon Bank of Codes was launched. This open platform can be used to map the biological assets and functions of the rainforest and make key resources accessible to scientists and innovators.

4. Robotic bees

Researchers at the Wyss Institute, Harvard, have developed the robobee, which is roughly half the size of a paperclip and weighs less than a tenth of a gramme. It’s thought the device could revolutionize rescue missions and surveillance, as well help with crop pollination and climate monitoring.

The device uses “artificial muscles” that contract when a voltage is detected, allowing the robobees to sustain flight. Some modified versions will also be able to “perch” on a surface using static electricity.

Thanks to “smart” sensors, the robobees are capable of self-directed flight, but also have the ability to operate in groups as part of a larger whole, like a real bee.