Kingfishers Are Master Divers with a Special Beak

Function

The kingfisher, also known as the “flying jewel,” extends its beautiful body in a straight line, takes aim at its prey, and dives underwater at speeds of up to 100 km per hour. Its beak forms a sharp square pyramid to reduce air and water resistance, allowing the kingfisher to dive like a bullet with hardly any splash. This shape exactly matched the one researchers eventually arrived at after using computers to calculate the shape that produces the least resistance. The kingfisher’s long evolutionary history had given it the beak best suited to diving.

Functional Classification

Efficiency(Energy Saving, Resource Saving, Light):
Air or water resistance evasion

Environmental Solution Classification

Related Literature

Technical Application

Modeling the nose of the bullet train after the shape of the kingfisher’s beak reduced travel resistance by 30% and quieted the noise caused when the train passed through tunnels.

Products and Services

  • Bullet train.

Type of Business

Proposals of Applied Technology

Reduce air resistance for high-speed transportation.

Proposals of Applied Industry

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