Fish, seaweed inspire slippery surfaces for ships

Long-distance cargo ships lose a significant amount of energy due to fluid friction. Looking to the drag reduction mechanisms employed by aquatic life can provide inspiration on how to improve efficiency.

A novel salvinia-like slippery surface

Superhydrophobic surfaces are widely used in many industrial settings, which mainly consist of rough solid protrusions that entrap air to minimize the liquid/solid area. The stability of the superhydrophobic state favors ...

Dual-action 'slippery' catheter fights bacteria

A super-slippery coating being developed at a University of Wisconsin–Madison lab could benefit medical catheters, factory equipment, and even someday, oil tankers.

Collecting tiny droplets for biomedical analysis and beyond

In a single sneeze or a cough, as many as 40,000 tiny droplets are forcibly propelled from the mouth and nose into the air. Researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have recently developed a method to collect ...

Insights on fast cockroaches can help teach robots to walk

Using the example of cockroaches, the Cologne-based zoologist Dr Tom Weihmann and his team were able to show that quickly running insects change their gait at mid-speed. This behaviour has previously only been observed in ...

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