Biomimicry

Hullbot’s autonomous in-water hull-cleaning system was recognised by Good Design Australia as a commercial and industrial product for 2025. The robot is designed for scheduled hull maintenance without drydocking, reducing biofouling-related drag while avoiding manual diver exposure and toxic anti-fouling practices.

A Springer Nature Research Communities article describes a plant-inspired adaptive façade using hygromorphic, biobased 4D-printed materials that change shape in response to weather.

A newly reported biomimetic robotic fish uses undulatory propulsion inspired by real fish to reduce disturbance in aquaculture environments while collecting sensor data.

Researchers demonstrated a material made from simple interlocking elements that can transition between rigid and fluid-like states depending on applied forces.

Bee propolis shuts down raised scars before they take hold A natural compound made by Australian bees to seal their hives may help stop scarring in human skin after surgery, injury and burns, according to University of the Sunshine Coast researchers.

A German startup has moved biohybrid swarm systems from concept to field-tested deployment, using living insects equipped with neural interfaces, sensors, and secure communications to operate as coordinated reconnaissance swarms.

A newly granted U.S. patent describes a system where heterogeneous robots and sensors coordinate using minimal, high-value data exchange, forming a distributed “collective intelligence” network.

Chinese Scientists Bioengineering Plants With Firefly Genes to Glow, in Effort to Light Cities at Night The bioluminescent flora were created by splicing genes from fireflies and glowing fungi into the plant cells, allowing them to emit a soft glow.

[Unverified] Reports indicate that SWARM Biotactics has conducted trials and begun supplying bioelectronic insect swarms for reconnaissance, combining living organisms with sensors and coordinated control systems.

Researchers built modular “SGbots” that communicate locally and collectively adjust their shape—blooming or retracting—to regulate sunlight in real-world window tests.