Frank Fish, a professor of biology at West Chester University, uses marine mammals as inspiration for creating biomimetic products, writes Matthew Berger for Smithsonian magazine.

The application of mimicking dolphin or whale anatomy has been increasing over the years, going from diving equipment to use in many other applications.

In addition to the fins used by divers to swim faster, researchers have also developed fins that copy the bumps humpbacks have on their flippers. These reduce drag and improve maneuverability, and one of the latest advances could even help divers avoid the dreaded bends altogether.

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“They’ve been used in windmills, fans, a McLaren race car spoiler,” said Fish.

Joy Reidenberg, an anatomist at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, has been researching the mysterious maze of tiny blood vessels in dolphins and toothed whales called the “thoracic rete.” She discovered that their purpose is to trap nitrogen bubbles that form as dolphins surface, which then prevents them from entering the joints and blocking blood supply to organs.

Reidenberg believes that creating a device that mimics this process would help divers resurface faster without this risk.

Read more about the devices inspired by marine mammals in Smithsonian magazine here.

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