A non-toxic anti-fouling coating for ships has been developed using shark scales as inspiration (Kesel and Liedert, 2007); a micro robot has been modelled after the locomotion of water striders (Suhr et al. 2005); composite beams have been created following the structure of plant stems (Milwich et al. 2006). These recent outcomes of biomimetic research illustrate but a small proportion of the p...