Aircraft surface inspired by desert beetle

Scientists have studied the water-gathering beetle, and have developed a patterned surface based on the small bumps used for water-collecting on its shell.

The bumps collect moisture from the air that forms into tiny droplets, and the beetle has a water-repelling surface underneath that funnels the gathered water into the beetle's mouth.

"We made a single dry zone around a piece of ice. Dewdrops preferentially grow on the array of hydrophilic dots. When the dots are spaced apart and one of the drops freezes into ice, the ice is unable to spread. The drops evaporate, creating a dry zone around the ice," said Jonathan Boreyko, assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech.

By using this design, researchers have said that the surface will help control and prevent the spread of ice, and be adapted to wind turbines, heat pump coils and car windshields.