Does anybody know of bionic shark skin using textile structures? What kind of textile patterns can be used? What is the principle to reduce flow drag during shark swimming?
Try this guy, Dr. Peter Grey: "Inspired by shark skin Another famous (and controversial) example was the design of a new swimsuit material inspired by shark skin. Under an electron microscope, shark skin is found to comprise many overlapping scales, called dermal denticles, that have grooves along their length parallel to the direction of the water flow as the shark moves through the water. These enable water to pass over the shark more smoothly by disrupting the formation of small eddies on the skin surface that would otherwise create ‘drag’. Clever scientists then replicated the concept of ‘dermal denticles’ into high-technology swimwear fabrics. The fabrics increase the swimmer's glide through the water and reduce the absorption of water by the suit. In fact the application was so successful that the swimsuits received a lot of publicity during the 2008 Summer Olympics and the sport’s governing body eventually banned the materials because of their effect on swim times. My company, 3M, has also used these features of shark skin to create drag-reduction riblets. Again, these take advantage of the reduced drag associated with the directional dermal denticles. Drag-reduction riblet films have been employed to reduce drag on wind turbine blades, Formula 1 racing cars, aeroplane wings and fuselages and even on the hulls of racing yachts. The same principle has been applied to a type of line used in fly fishing. Called the Scientific Anglers Sharkskin Series of fly fishing lines, they allow fly fishers to cast further with less effort and with less line tangling. Rather than being smooth like other fishing lines, Sharkskin has a micro-textured surface to reduce drag and so improve accuracy when casting. - See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Inspired-by-nature#sthash.tv2cTSQ2.dpuf"
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