Hypodermic needles
Bulletproof armour
Reptiles (Reptilia) are cold-blooded animals and have scales. They originated around 320-310 million years ago, having evolved from advanced reptile-like amphibians that became increasingly adapted to life on dry land. Many groups are extinct, including the dinosaurs, but modern reptiles still inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica. There are approximately 10,000 species of reptile.
Reptiles
Boasting a thick layer of broad scales, Crocodiles’ skin is durable and tough enough to withstand the impact of spears and arrows, as well as shielding from low calibre bullet shots. Due to its hardwearing dermal and epidermal components, crocodile skin itself has been used as suits of armour dating back as far as the third century AD in Rome. Its unique pattern and texture has prompted the development of advanced armour plating designs on both vehicles and bulletproof vests.
With the ability to penetrate skin and inject venom directly into the bloodstream, snake fangs are marvellously efficient at delivering toxins into the circulatory system of virtually any other organism within seconds. Their teeth - generally arched, cone shaped and tapered toward the end - allow for effective piercing of the skin, and have microscopic tubes inside them that secrete the poison. Indeed, snake fangs have been shown to demonstrate remarkable similarities to modern hypodermic needles
Even the smallest in tectonic movements before a major earthquake, normally undetectable by state-of-the-art machinery, appears to most notably change the behaviour of the Rattlesnake. This ‘super-sense’ for underground vibrations would normally aid its means of hunting for prey, by identifying the subtle movements of small rodents or frogs on the earth’s surface. However, scientists have been investigating snake-like technology and its potential to not merely detect and respond to people under rubble, but also accurately predict tectonic activity like tsunamis and earthquakes – potentially saving millions of lives.
Until recently, the explanation for the remarkable stickiness of gecko feet has puzzled scientists and researchers. However, new studies have uncovered their secret: millions of dry, flexing, microscopic hairs that don’t simply ‘stick’ to a plane, but they trap minuscule air bubbles between the feet and the surface. By exerting strong van der Waals’ forces, gecko feet have the ability to fix the weight of the lizard to vertical and even inverted surfaces. This nano-technology has actively inspired the manufacture of new sticky tape, chemical-free adhesives, gloves and climbing gear.
Earthquake detection
Rock climbing
Water supply
Search and rescue
The Thorny Devil Lizard can absorb water directly from the rain, by standing in a pool of water, or simply standing on damp soil. Although, this reptile doesn’t absorb it through its skin, even more fascinatingly, it has a complex network of grooves and channels around 5 to 150 µm across the surface of its scales leading toward its mouth. Creating such a large surface area for hydrogen bonds to form means that through capillary action, the lizards’ thirst is quenched with minimal effort. Inevitably, this particular method has proved interesting to researchers wanting piping system of the underground water table in drought-stricken countries that requires no pumping, or the distribution of water and air conditioning in high rise skyscrapers that would require little energy and expense.
The Basilisk (Jesus) Lizard can run across the surface of water on their two hind legs, with front arms outstretched - travelling at over 1.5 metres a second, equivalent to a human running 65 MPH. The lizard first slaps the water with its web-like foot, strokes downward with an elliptical motion to create an air pocket, and then pulls its foot out of the water by curling its toes inward. By reiterating this movement up to 10 times a second, it generates enough forward thrust and lift to run on water without tipping or sinking. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have built a tiny robot that can walk on water in a similar way, and believe it could one day be equipped with cameras for spying, search and rescue operations, or for exploration. It may utilise biochemical sensors that monitor water quality, or outfitted with bacteria to help break down pollutants in the environment.
Improving lenses
Durable electronics
Amongst others in the animal kingdom, snakes are able to shed their entire skin surface and regenerate a newer, healthy layer underneath. This continuous process of shedding and restoring occurs throughout the snakes entire life, and despite this, serpents retain a tough and resilient layer of scales each time. This property has inspired a whole new revolution of silicon based, plastic-like materials that regenerate when damaged, and much like snakes, either ‘heal’ a wound using intricate nano-piping networks (much like capillaries), or simply produce and entirely new exterior and shed the previous one. This idea has the potential to be applied to durable electronics and military aircrafts.
Some lizards, including the nocturnal Gecko, have eyes 350 times more sensitive than humans. They have multifocal optics, meaning that light can enter the retina from a variety of wavelengths at the same time due to their eyes having a series of distinct concentric zones of different refractive powers. They possess a rare ability to see colours at night. Such discoveries have impelled engineers and technology corporations to produce more powerful cameras and possibly multifocal contact lenses that not simply combat vision loss, but further our vision capabilities as a whole.
Desert exploration
The Desert Kingsnake, able to side wind and slither through across desert sand dunes has been subject to research in the past few years. Its unique locomotion is composed of sections of its body travelling in a wave, yet each part moving independently means that it can tackle even the most nonnegotiable slopes. This technique has inspired engineers to construct a robotic snake that, similar to its biological counterpart, is composed of individual sections that move together in a sideward wave. Moreover, it can constrict poles and even climb trees when programmed correctly. It is thought that with added cameras, this technology could be applied to desert robot spies, bomb detection and even toys.
