Nature’s innovations can transform aviation

Alexander Robinson explores how Microtau’s ingenious riblet films can extend aircraft ranges and benefit the environment.

Biomimetics – the practice of emulating features found in nature – is not new in aviation. Aside from the design of the aerofoil itself, the profile of Northgrup Grumman’s B2 bomber next to a Peregrine Falcon is probably the most famous example. Borrowing from nature is compelling because these designs have proven themselves highly effective – the survival and honing of these traits over successive generations has resulted in millions of years of R&D and rigorously optimised features. Today’s engineers could only dream of such an investment.

Some of these designs may seem obvious – of course, an airfoil should resemble an avian wing, they fly after all – but others are not. One such example is the application of sandpaper-textured shark skin surfaces to aircraft exteriors.