This article highlights examples of mechanical engineering inventions inspired by nature’s structures and mechanisms. It explores the work of mechanical engineers who have created new technologies by mimicking elements of nature, such as geckos and sea turtles, to demonstrate that nature mimicry is an important source of creative design.

Mechanical inventions that borrow mechanisms from natural objects

Designers and creativity go hand in hand. In that sense, engineers are also designers. Depending on their specialty, they design and build machines and systems in almost every aspect of life, including housing, transportation, communication, appliances, medical devices, and the ecological environment. Mechanical engineering is no exception, and it plays an important role in designing many of the physical machines and equipment we see around us.
Mechanical engineering is particularly focused on designing physical phenomena – things that we can touch and feel. An important source of inspiration that engineers often turn to is nature. Analyzing the structures and mechanisms of nature and incorporating them into mechanical designs is a very efficient way to do so, and nature has evolved self-optimizing structures and functions over millions of years. This technique of mimicking nature’s designs is called biomimicry.

Inventions inspired by nature

Mechanical engineers have created many inventions inspired by physical and biological phenomena that occur in nature. For example, the discovery of Professor Gap Yang Seo of Seoul National University’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who studied why geckos can climb walls, is fascinating. They found that the gecko’s soles don’t stick to the wall with a sticky substance, but rather the microscopic hairs on the soles physically bond with the wall’s surface. Based on this, the team developed an artificial nanocilia adhesive patch. The adhesive patch has an adhesive strength of 2 kilograms per square centimeter and the ability to easily attach and detach from the wall like a lizard. The invention has the potential to be used in a variety of industries as a new material for easy adhesion and removal.
The “turtle ball,” developed by a team of professors at Seoul National University, is another mechanical design inspired by nature. The reason why golf balls have bumpy dimples is to reduce drag and increase distance, but the dimples can reduce accuracy when putting. To solve this problem, the team looked at the carapace structure of sea turtles and designed a new golf ball that mimics it. The turtle ball travels similar distances to a conventional golf ball, but with a 50% increase in smooth surface area for better putting accuracy.

Mechanical engineering and nature interact

Mechanical engineering has evolved beyond simply mimicking nature to more sophisticated interpretations and applications of natural principles. For example, one of the most well-known examples is the design of airplanes by studying the structure of bird wings. Taking inspiration from the structural characteristics of animals and plants and applying them to mechanical design is efficient and can lead to highly innovative results.
Another example of a tool inspired by nature is the flippers we use when swimming. Flippers are wing-like auxiliary structures added to the foot to move quickly and efficiently through the water, mimicking the fins of fish and other aquatic animals. These unique structures found in ecosystems are an endless source of inspiration for mechanical engineers.

Nature and the future of mechanical engineering

Inventions that mimic nature are still being actively researched. The future of mechanical engineering will continue to analyze and apply natural structures for more sophisticated and efficient designs. For example, aircraft wings inspired by butterfly wings, building materials that mimic the strength of spider webs, and even self-healing materials that apply the growth patterns of living things like trees.
This research is not mere imitation, but a creative process of reinterpreting and adapting natural structures for modern technology. Mechanical engineers are using nature’s amazing mechanical properties to create better designs that make our lives easier and enable new technological breakthroughs.

Conclusion

They say that imitation is the second creation. The process of analyzing the structural mysteries of nature and applying them to mechanical design has endless possibilities. Many of the machines and tools we use every day are the result of nature’s inspiration, and there is no shortage of mechanical design ideas to come. Mechanical inventions that utilize nature’s intricate designs will continue to evolve and make our lives more convenient and innovative.