Biomimicry

"Dearborn, Michigan based car maker, Ford Motor Company, is working with Procter & Gamble to develop an adhesive inspired by geckos to improve the recyclability of its cars. Ford said that its researchers have considered ways to make auto manufacturing more sustainable for years. A key challenge is glue used to adhere foams to plastics and metals can make disassembling parts for recycling nearly impossible.

Enter the gecko. The company explained that the lizard’s toe pads allow it to stick to most surfaces without liquids or surface tension. The reptile can then easily release itself, leaving no residue.  [...] According to Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader for plastics and sustainability research, the gecko could inspire a host of adhesive innovations for global applications at Ford."

"In 2005, Mercedes-Benz revealed a concept car with a strange shape. Called the Bionic, the cartoonishly snub-nosed vehicle was modeled after Ostracion cubicus, the yellow boxfish. Car manufacturers aren’t the only ones to take inspiration from this weird coral dweller. But researchers now say engineers who mimicked the boxfish might have been misled."