Mimicking the Bumps on Humpback-whale Fins Could Lead to More Efficient Wind Turbines. Biomimetics is the abstraction of good design from nature.
Continue reading the ABC (US) news story: Whale-Inspired Windmills
Thanks to Ann Novek of Sweden for this story.
Link to the above excerpt:
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20050618023959data_trunc_sys.shtml
Shark skin as biomimetics , to make ship hulls more efficient:
" The growth of marine organisms such as barnacles on ship hulls is a major drag for the naval industry, since their presence is one cause of increased energy costs. Researchers, led by Ralph Liedert at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, claim that they have solved this problem by using artificial shark skin, as its unique properties offer a structural design that prevents this so-called 'bio-fouling'. Liedert claims that covering ship hulls with artificial shark skin could help ships sail more smoothly with greater efficiency."