Explore every episode of the podcast Wild engineers

How economists in Ho Chi Minh city changed how we think about alerts in critical infrastructure after studying the Madagascan hissing cockroach.

Function: Prevent systems from being ignored over time

Biological model: Madagascan hissing cockroach and adaptive signalling

Engineering translation: Adaptive hospital nurse-call alarm design

Sources / further reading

• Cobus V, Heuten W. To beep or not to beep? Evaluating modalities for multimodal ICU alarms. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction. 2019;3(1):15. https://share.google/uzCZzmFPXLXKPXT1n

• Edworthy J. Medical audible alarms: a review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. 2013;20(3):584–589.

• Howell J, Knight V. Quieter nurse call system to reduce alarm noise in hospitals. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 2024;318:2–5. https://share.google/Phyj6HWFTmOpqKF9j

• Rauland Australia. Reducing alarm fatigue in hospitals: a quieter approach with Concentric Care. 2024. https://share.google/tfZVygRKuuoGI8Ekm

• Triet LM, Truong Thinh N. Mitigating Neural Habituation in Insect Bio-Bots: A Dual-Timescale Adaptive Control Approach. Biomimetics. 2026;11(1):13. https://share.google/mNyQxKVCIBkdsg4ZY

Image credits

• Cockroaches, Miskolci Állatkert via Miskolc Zoo

• Hospital via Envato

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

How the US Department of Energy reduced power outage restoration time by about 50% by applying lessons from leaves.

Function: Distribute energy reliably during disturbances

Biological model: Leaf vein networks

Engineering translation: Self-healing electrical networks / FLISR

Sources / further reading

• Brodribb TJ, Bienaime D, Marmottant P. Revealing catastrophic failure of leaf networks under stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2016;113(17):4865–4869. https://share.google/mxCrrVx0PgH7WakAS

• Pratt A, Engel D, Jain R, et al. Defining a Use Case for the ADMS Test Bed: Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration. National Renewable Energy Laboratory; 2021. https://share.google/ITI5PCyETYRe897s4• Sack L, Dietrich EM, Streeter CM, Sanchez-Gomez D, Holbrook NM. Leaf palmate venation and vascular redundancy confer tolerance of hydraulic disruption. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2008;105(5):1567–1572. https://share.google/QcJGtjSVPsGM3T8yQ

• U.S. Department of Energy. Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration Technologies Reduce Outage Impact and Duration. 2014. https://share.google/9NwdowaQxNDAWrKDg

• U.S. Department of Energy. Final Smart Grid Investment Grant Program Report. 2016. https://share.google/1vdJ1eMX6gFfTZ134

Image credits

• Leaves via Canva

• Power station via Canva

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

Discover the secret to the Swiss Re Building (nicknamed the Gherkin) in London of how to significantly reduce wind drag by learning from ocean sponges.

Function: Move air passively

Biological model: Venus’ flower basket sponge

Engineering translation: 30 St Mary Axe / the Gherkin

Sources / further reading

• Adrian, B. 2001. Shape and Structure, From Engineering to Nature. Entropy. International and Interdisciplinary Journal of Entropy and Information Studies. 3:10:3390/e3050293.https://share.google/qYRGxubisZaDMYany

• Foster + Partners. Environmental strategy for 30 St Mary Axe. 2004. https://share.google/v4TSidaU65MZQ29b4

• Pawlyn M. Biomimicry in Architecture. RIBA Publishing; 2011. https://share.google/fzrZ0OefoK2lfLZAV

Image credits

• Sponge with crab, NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Gulf of Mexico 2012 Expedition via Wikipedia

• 30 St Mary’s Axe building full view via Wikimedia

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

How cow’s stomachs inspired the design of a zero power, zero odour and zero chemical sewage treatment plant in India.

Function: Manage waste

Biological model: Cow stomach compartments and rumen microbiota

Engineering translation: ECOSTP sewage treatment system

Sources / further reading

• Appels,L., Baeyens, J, Degrève,J,, & Dewil,R. 2008. Principles and potential of the anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science. 34:6:755-781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2008.06.002. https://share.google/2RbH6WTvrTuxLynpr

• Metcalf & Eddy. Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery. 2014. https://share.google/Ma1khM8anLxRmGJFx

• Perez, H. G., Stevenson, C. K., Lourenco, J. M., & Callaway, T. R. 2024. Understanding Rumen Microbiology: An Overview. Encyclopedia, 4(1), 148-157. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia4010013. https://share.google/Eisaa8O3MCLEOCXi9

• Van Soest PJ. Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant. Cornell University Press; 1994. https://share.google/O2hWmaSlyaRyjR3q8

• Xu Q, et al. Gut Microbiota and Their Role in Health and Metabolic Disease of Dairy Cow. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2021;8:701511. https://share.google/YxxwNM4aQVjtCzO81

Image credits

• Cow diagram, illustration adapted from Graham's family Dairy

• ECOSTP Antharam, via Organo

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

How a city in California stabilised chlorine levels in water 87% faster than conventional methods, inspired by seashells.

Function: Move fluids

Biological model: Logarithmic spirals and vortices in nature

Engineering translation: Pax Impeller® and the Thousand Oaks water case study

Sources / further reading

• Bejan A. The Physics of Life: The Evolution of Everything. 2016. https://share.google/OjFZVJZpxo3F58JKC

• City of Thousand Oaks case study on Pax mixer performance. https://cleanwater1.com/pax-mixers

• Harman J. The Shark’s Paintbrush. 2000. https://share.google/XtwGscrlkDAgCI4xx

• Pax Scientific. Innovative Technology: How the Pax Impeller Works. https://paxscientific.com/water-tech

• Vogel S. Life in Moving Fluids. Princeton University Press; 1994. https://share.google/MlCCBYrLMDXvyaqSa

Image credits • Spiral shell via Canva • Impeller via Pax Scientific via AskNature.org

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

How Airbus cut 1,000 kilos of weight from each A380 airplane, making them stronger in the process, by learning from bone structures.

Function: Maximise strength with minimal material

Biological model: Trabecular bone

Engineering translation: Topology optimisation in aircraft structures

Sources / further reading

• Elelwi M, Botez RM, Dao TM. Structural Sizing and Topology Optimization Based on Weight Minimization of a Variable Tapered Span-Morphing Wing for Aerodynamic Performance Improvements. Biomimetics. 2021;6(4):55. https://share.google/kAtasd2IGKmRoOvYy

• Zhu JH, Zhang WH, Xia L. Topology Optimization in Aircraft and Aerospace Structures Design. Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering. 2016;23:595–622. https://share.google/fHZNqODNsBG8s7A9g

Image credits • Bone via Canva• A380, Keta via Wikimedia

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

How Banksia shrubs inspired researchers to develop a solution where pine wood resists ignition even at 1008C.

Function: Protect from fire

Biological model: Oldman Banksia (Banksia serrata) follicles

Engineering translation: Heat-activated self-sealing material concepts tested at the Max Planck Institute

Sources / further reading

• Australian Plants Society. Banksia serrata. https://share.google/qAj9SpOmx1eZ5Z11o

• Huss JC, et al. Temperature-induced self-sealing capability of Banksia follicles. 2018. https://share.google/111FL5JbKTnukWWM3

• Huss JC, et al. Protecting offspring against fire: Lessons from Banksia seed pods. 2019. https://share.google/w72njJAFMxvELUjEi

Image credits

• Banksia pod via Canva

• Max Planck Institute, Jörg Abendrot via Wikimedia

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

How Kingfisher’s beaks changed the way we design fast trains cutting noise by up to 15 decibels.

Function: Reduce acoustic impact

Biological model: Kingfisher beak

Engineering translation: Shinkansen bullet train nose redesign

Sources / further reading

• Biomimicry Institute. Kingfisher-inspired Shinkansen design. https://share.google/mzcDAhsClBNQKl8pV

• Crandell KE, Howe RO, Falkingham PL. Repeated evolution of drag reduction at the air-water interface in diving kingfishers. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 2019;16(154):20190125. https://share.google/3V3kDtxWmdsUXwgWw

• Kikuchi, Katsuhiro & Iida, M. & Fukuda, T.. (2011). Optimization of Train Nose Shape for Reducing Micro-Pressure Wave Radiated from Tunnel Exit. Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control. 30. 1-19. 10.1260/0263-0923.30.1.1. https://share.google/6Otr8SZap2VH4ZkcB

• Fish FE, Lauder GV. Passive and active flow control by swimming fishes and mammals. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics. 2006;38:193–224. https://share.google/fYrmvrEYY77IzQdz8

• Lovvorn JR, Jones DR. Body mass, volume, and buoyancy of some aquatic birds, and their relation to locomotor strategies. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 1991;69(11):2888–2892. https://share.google/R7gVqSL4GfjcE0JLM

• Vogel S. Life in Moving Fluids: The Physical Biology of Flow. Princeton University Press; 1994. https://share.google/00fvyNg5U4vymwNQW

Image credits • Kingfisher via Envato • Bullet train via Canva

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.

Discover how termites inspired an 82% drop in electricity use in the Australian-based CH2 building by designing smart chimneys just like termites.

Function: Regulate temperature

Biological model: African termite mounds

Engineering translation: CH2 (Council House 2), Melbourne

Sources / further reading

• Arup. Biomimicry and the Built Environment. 2013. https://share.google/kBObCUIJzVvhhv95N

• City of Melbourne. Council House 2: A Case Study in Sustainable Design. 2006. https://share.google/3upSbenEaGzMV8jyf

• Ocko SA, et al. Solar-powered ventilation of African termite mounds. Science. 2017;357(6354):1246–1249.

• Pearce, M. Council House 2 (CH2), Melbourne. https://share.google/42wyEva35hRoCvrmq

• Turner JS. The Extended Organism: The Physiology of Animal-Built Structures. Harvard University Press; 2000. https://share.google/hR0qVlViZJPUr0Nx5

Image credits • Termite via Canva • CH2 building, Nick Carson via Wikimedia

Written and produced by Melanie Farmer.

Podcast: Wild engineers. For learning and inspiration. Music and production completed in Movavi 2026. Please validate any design application for technical use.