Ten Inventions That Borrowed Their Best Ideas From Nature
A burr can suggest a fastener, a bird can reshape a train, and a forest floor can change the way we design interiors. Biomimicry starts by asking how living systems solve practical problems. These ten inventions turn that question into useful technology, from familiar products to experimental robots and water-filtering membranes.
Hook-and-Loop Fasteners | Burdock Burrs
Burdock burrs stay attached to fur because their tiny hooks catch in surrounding fibers. After studying that mechanism, Swiss engineer George de Mestral developed a manufactured closure with a hooked strip and a separate looped strip. Pressing them together creates a connection that can be pulled apart and used again. The familiar fastener is now an established commercial technology; VELCRO is a brand name, while hook-and-loop describes the mechanism.
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