
biomimetics
Helping Robots Spring Into Action
An international research team has constructed insect-size millirobots that can fling themselves into the air like trap-jaw ants.

What Makes Whale Baleen So Tough?
By studying the structure of the filter-feeding apparatus of whales, researchers hope to design better materials for the maritime industry.
Switching It Up: How Sex Role-Reversed Insects Store More Semen
A tiny switching valve in the female penis of the Brazilian cave insect Neotrogla allows the creatures to store multiple sperm capsules, say researchers in Japan.
Dragonfly Wings Inspire Antimicrobial Coating
Mimicking the structures of a dragonfly’s wings, a research group in Singapore has developed a nano-coating that can kill bacteria on surfaces as well as in water.
Losing An Arm Doesn’t Bother Starfish Bot
Drawing inspiration from starfish, scientists in Japan have developed a robot that can maintain its movement even when one of its limbs is damaged.
EmTech Asia Announces 2018’s Innovators Under 35
Ten individuals from Singapore, Australia and Taiwan have been selected as finalists for MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 program.
Owl Eyes Inspire Brighter Light Displays
Inspired by the retroreflective characteristics of the eyes of nocturnal animals, researchers have created a brighter flexible electroluminescent film.
Creating Artificial Mother-Of-Pearl
Using a bottom-up assembly strategy, researchers in China have developed a method to scale-up the production of high-performance artificial nacre.
A Slippery Solution To A Sticky Problem
By infusing porous surfaces with slippery liquids, researchers have developed a way to prevent mussel adhesion, a key contributor to marine biofouling of ship hulls.
Cha Hyung Joon Receives Inventor Of The Year Award
For his invention of a tissue adhesive inspired by mussels, Professor Cha Hyung Joon from POSTECH was conferred the Inventor Of The Year Award.