Sharks are intriguing, phenomenal creatures. Not only do they come in 440 species, they have they been around for more than 420 million years -- before the dinosaurs!
One thing that surprised me about sharks is that their skin is uniquely structured to keep barnacles and other critters from accumulating. Its made up of microscopic scale-like structures called denticles that have ridges and are spaced in such a way to prevent free-loafing sea life from hanging on. The denticles also improve the shark's ability to swim fast and resistance the flow of currents.
A group of researchers from Fraunhofer in Germany have taken inspiration from shark skin to produce a paint that, when applied using a special stencil, has ridges. Those ridges improve the aerodynamic nature of the structures, whether they be airplanes, ships and wind turbine blades.
The researchers tested the paint on a ship and found that the vessel could save a potential 2,000 tons of fuel per year. The team also thinks that the structure could keep algae or muscles from attaching to the hull of ships.
If the paint were applied to every airplane in the world, it could save 4.48 million tons of fuel.
Other engineers have taken inspiration from sharks, too. One group called Sharklet is mimicking the surface for medical devices, so that they'll resist the growth of organisms such as bacteria.
It's amazing how this prehistoric creature is leading to futuristic technological solutions.
Tags: Animals, Biomimetics, Materials, Materials Science, Nanotech
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