Learning from nature:
Snakeskin secrets revealing
lessons in friction.
The natural world has inspired engineering and design in countless ways. Now researchers are looking at snakeskins in an attempt to better understand an understudied engineering area: friction.
Abdel-Aal (2018) summarises findings from 40 species of snake to understand how the textural traits of snake skin compare to the standard features of textured industrial surfaces. This exploratory framework could subsequently lead to new, nature-inspired smart surfaces.
Original paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.11.008