6 modern innovations that started with wings and a beak

Have you sat on the window seat of the plane and stared blankly at the wings, thinking that it resembles a bird in flight? Well, honestly, that’s the most common parallel drawn between a modern innovation and a bird. But there are many other modern devices, transport, equipment or even technologies which find their fundamentals in a bird and their behaviour. Here’s decoding how nature paves the way for modern science.

Modern technologies that find their basics in the behaviour of winged creatures

 While the list of course starts with the history of the planes, the most notable ones, did you know of all that would follow it?

Long before the Wright brothers, Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings gives proofs of his intelligence in trying to dream of a world where through biomimicry humans would be able to fly. This was also an inspiration for the Wright Brothers who were later successful and often credited for the fundamentals of aviation.    

It was 1989 and the Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains in Japan were one of the fastest in the world. But it had an engineering problem. Everytime it exited a tunnel it used to make a blaring noise which, of course, disturbed peace and shocked the people around it. Interestingly, the lead designer of this train was a birdwatcher as well. He derived one of the most intelligent ways to tackle this problem. He noticed how the kingfisher silently moves from air to water to catch its prey. Thus, the bullet train nose was re-designed with inspiration from this colourful bird. The connectors of the train were modeled after owl wings, and the slippery stomach of the penguin. This made the train’s run time faster and accounted for less power usage. And there was no noise!

Long before drones were a seen in abundance over the sky for photography and video purposes, they were used as weapons of strategic intelligence. In that capacity, it had no option of not being discreet. But anything technical was bound to make a noise, which often hindered its full functionality. Thus, designers noticed how stealthily the owl captured its prey by moving its wings- swiftly, softly, and suddenly. They mimicked the same practice to re-design silent drones which are used for surveillance and other purpose…in silence.  

Remember how science teaches us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction? Thus, when a woodpecker pecks on the wood so far, the reaction is bound to make them dizzy and off balance. But that never happens. This is because the woodpecker’s skull is so brilliantly designed to absorb shocks. Keeping this in mind, designers made shock absorbing helmets and safety gears which help in tackling the force, especially during bike rides, outdoor activities and more.

Have you seen a duck in water and noticed it carefully? Even though it gets wet, the water easily slides off from its body. This inspired the architects of the first raincoat to create a fabric/ substance/ material which can shrug off water and keep the person wearing it dry underneath. Hence, a duck and brilliant designing led to the invention of a raincoat.

Just when the sun sets, the bats come out and roam the dark skies. Or if you enter a dark cave with absolutely no light, you would see these winged creatures flying about. Ever wondered how they can navigate themselves in pitch darkness. They use the process of echolocation where the sounds echo an obstacle and come back to them, from which they can determine the distance. Echolocation is also used among underwater creatures to navigate and gauge distance. This mechanism was adapted for tools used for the safety and aid of those with visual impairments.

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