Page 59 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

ust about everyone interested in motor vehi-
cles knows the importance of gearboxes and jet
engines. Few, however, are aware that there are
gearboxes and jet engines in nature, which
possess designs far superior to those employed
by man.
Gearboxes allow you to change gears in the vehicle so that
the motor is used most efficiently. Natural gearboxes work along
the same principles as those in cars. Flies, for example, use a nat-
ural gearbox that provides three-speed gearshift connected to its
wings. Thanks to this system, a fly can instantaneously accelerate
or slow down by flapping its wings at the desired speed while in
the air. 47
In cars, at least four gears are used to transmit the power
from the engine to the wheels. It is possible to drive smoothly on-
ly when the gears are used in succession, from low gear to high,
and back again. Instead of gears in cars, which are
heavy and take up a lot of room, flies have a
mechanism that takes up only a few cubic mil-
limeters. Thanks to their far more functional
mechanism, flies can beat their wings with ease.
The squid, octopus and nautilus employ a
propellant force similar to the principle used by
jet engines. To understand just how effective
this force is, consider that the
species of squid known as
Loligo vulgaris can travel
in the water at speeds up
to 32 kilometers [20