We have a lot to learn from nature.// The following products were made with hints for their unique features from plants and animals.//
// 1The kingfisher is good at catching fish in rivers without making a splash.// A Japanese engineer found that the kingfisher’s long beak reduces impact when it hits the water.// He designed the Shinkansen.// It runs more quietly.//
// 2One day, after walking his dog, an engineer found a lot of cockleburs on the dog’s legs.// The cocklebur hooks stick to shoes, clothes and other things.// He made the hook-and-loop fastener.// It is now used for many purposes.//
// 3Have you seen raindrops roll off an umbrella?// It’s called the “lotus effect.”// The surface of a lotus leaf is not smooth.// That is why drops of water run down the leaf and it is always clean.// An umbrella uses this effect.//
// 4This car runs smoothly and doesn’t use much fuel.// The reason is that it has low air resistance.// The design uses the shape of the boxfish.// It is very stable and has little resistance in the water.//
// 5The soles of the runner’s shoes have a honeycomb pattern.// Materials like this with a lot of cells are light and hard, and easily transmit power.// We can find the honeycomb structure on cardboard boxes and the wings of an airplane.//
// 6A maple seed looks like a taketombo.// It has two propeller-shaped blades and turns around in the wind.// Scientists have studied the wind power the blades produce.// They use this mechanism for many purposes, such as windmills, helicopters and drones.//