Transportation
Materials
Function Efficiency
100
These animals use a "V-formation" when flying in groups that has been mimicked by pilots to reduce drag and lower fuel consumption.
What are birds?
100
Legend has it that, this material made of hooks and loops, was first designed by George de Menstral after he noticed the way that burs would attach to the fur of his dog.
What is velcro?
100
This governmental organization has been actively researching the "crawling" method of insects, to design robots able to navigate the terrain of Mars.

What is NASA?

The ability of insects to efficiently navigate all sorts of terrain, has been praised and greatly researched by scientists and engineers.

200
When the sound of a bullet train entering tunnels became an issue for engineers, they looked to this "royal" bird's beak shape for a solution. It was noted that this bird is extremely efficient at diving from the sky into the water for fish.
a) Blue Jay
b) Seagull
c) Kingfisher
What is a kingfisher?
200
Besides having it's own week on the discovery channel, this ocean predator is also impressive in the way it can swim so efficiently. Researchers have found that this animal's skin is covered in tiny teeth and used that feature as a model to design the 2008 US swim team's swimwear.
What is a shark?
200
Bees naturally create this structure in their hives to store honey, but recently the structure has also been proven to offer a space efficient alternative to the traditional cubicle design.
What is a honeycomb?
300
This hovering machine of flight was first conceptualized by Da Vinci in 1407, after watching seeds known as "whirlybirds" fly in the wind.
What is the helicopter?
300
This bullet proof material was designed after the impressive strength of spider silk.
What is kevlar?
300
The bumps on this giant water mammal's fins have been inspiration for engineers to design turbines that are quieter, sturdier and more reliable.
What is a (humpback) whale?
400
This animal (popularized by SEGA video games) has unique honeycomb core has been mimicked by F1 engineers to improve the suspension in race cars.
What is a hedgehog?
400
Not only has this reptile's incredible ability to stick to surfaces inspired a revolution in tape design, but it can also remind you that "15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance".
What is a Gecko?
400
The mounds formed by these wood-eating insects, proved to be the inspiration that architects needed with regards to maintaining a constant temperature throughout entire office buildings.
What are termites?
Termites achieve this through the use of "Passive Cooling", by which they are constantly opening and closing vents throughout the mound to manage convection currents of air - cooler air is drawn in from open lower sections while hot air escapes through chimneys. An innovative building in Zimbabwe uses similar design and air circulation planning while consuming less than 10% of the energy used in similar sized conventional buildings!
500
The boxfish's shape is one of the most aerodynamic shapes found in nature, so it should come as no surprise that these increasingly popular energy efficient cars mimic their shape.
What are hybrid cars?
500
The bumpy surface of the Lotus flower's leaves causes water beads to roll off and pick up surface contaminants with them. That characteristic makes it an ideal model for this colorful liquid that is used to coat most houses and wood.
What is paint?
500
The light reflecting principle discovered by studying the wing pattern of this colorful insect, has been employed with great success in designing more vividly colorful electronic displays.
What is the butterfly?
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