Scientists and engineers are getting some wild ideas from the wild kingdom
Materials repel dirt like a lotus leaf
The lotus leaf is a symbol of purity and cleanliness: Water drops bead up and roll off the leaf's waxy, water-repellent surface, washing away specks of dirt in the process. The secret comes down to tiny bumps on the leaves' surface, providing no room for droplets to accumulate. In recent years, scientists have translated the design into self-cleaning materials that range from clothes and windows to the insulators used on high-voltage power lines. This scanning electron microscope image shows the bumpy surface of a lotus leaf.
Check out nine more innovations inspired by nature:
Gecko glue: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-gecko-glue
Sea cucumber plastic: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-sea-cucumber-plastic
Speedy swimsuit: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-speedy-swimsuits
Jet sprayers: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-jet-sprayers
Drones: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-drones
Bullet trains: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-bullet-train
Fishy armor: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-fishy-armor
Whiter whites: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-white-album
Boxfish-styled cars: www.happynews.com/inspired-innovations-boxfish-cars

© 2008 msnbc.com
Reproduced with permission of MSNBC, from Ten innovations inspired by nature by John Roach, October 21, 2008; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.

You can read this story in its original location at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27285982