FC2Video

Nature has to be efficient in the way it processes information and uses energy so when scientists began to look at nature with biomimetic eyes, its not surprising that they started to see entirely new visions for our future. Nature™s power stations are everywhere in the form of leaves. They run on sunlight and their main waste product is oxygen. Now scientists have succeeded in building an artificial leaf, which could produce hydrogen the fuel of the future powered by nothing but sunlight. And when we park out new non-polluting cars at home or work, what will the buildings be like? For that, scientists are looking at prairie dogs and termites. In Namibia we watch scientists laboriously fill a 3 metre high termite mound with latex, then, under the burning sun, shave away a few millimetres of the mound at a time and photograph it. The end result is the first ever complete 3D model of a termite mound, and it reveals some remarkable stories of how the termites control temperature, carbon dioxide and humidity in the nest. Understanding this, theres no reason why we cant build our own tower blocks on the same principles.

Nature invented a whole range of hi-tec materials long before we invented ceramics and plastics. And not only are they often better, but nature has also invented ingenious ways of building with them. In this programme we travel inside a giant sequoia to find out how nature has built the largest living thing ever, and how that might help us make better bullet-proof vests. In the forests of Central America, the breath-taking, irridescence of a morpho butterfly in flight is all the more amazing when slowed down over a hundred times. It has inspired one cosmetics company to invent an entirely new kind of lipstick but more importantly, understanding its dazzling beauty might pave the way for a new revolution in information technology photonic crystals that would make fibre optic systems obsolete.

Most animals, and even a few plants, move. They swim, walk, run or fly in a wide range of ways, and in this programme we look at how designers of planes, cars and robots have found inspiration in nature. But biomimetics is not just about copying nature, it™s about understanding the principles behind natureuccess and applying those in new and surprising ways. So exploring the world of cars and planes also gives us some startling new insights into nature as well. In this programme we find out why sharks can swim so fast, how flies and geckos can climb smooth glass and how vultures can help the next generation of airliners. We also meet robot cockroaches that might look like something from science fiction, but might be the fore-runners of the latest all terrain vehicles.