Biomimicry: 5 really weird animals that have inspired science and tech, including the pangolin...
Geege Schuman stashed this in Innovation
Stashed in: Science!
To save this post, select a stash from drop-down menu or type in a new one:
Pangolin are the only known animal with keratin scales — the same thing our finger nails are composed of.
Inspiration: Those same scales overlap a bit like the tiles on a roof, while still allowing the pangolin the flexibility to roll into a ball. It's thought that this behavior could inform protective surfaces from packaging to roofs, and has already inspired real-world products like the Pangolin backpack, which has similar overlapping surfaces (and which closes with a magnet instead of a zip). The Pangolin was also the inspiration for Golem's futuristic retractable Alpha helmet.
5:08 AM Sep 05 2016