It seems that machines and sand do not go well together due to the sand’s ability to penetrate gears, clogs, pipes – basically moving parts, and cause quite a bit of damage to them. Thanks to mother nature, it seems that a new surface, or armor if you prefer, has been developed that is based off the skin of the Yellow Fattail Scorpion of North Africa, who by the way is incredibly venomous and whose venom can reportedly kill an adult male in under two hours.
Getting back to the armor, researchers at Jilin University in China have discovered that due to the scorpion’s skin featuring a series of microtextures, it actually helps by channeling air over the animal which will minimize the effects sand could have against it. This was achieved by scanning the scorpions, and was further refined by modifying and testing the derived surface texture to maximize its resistance to abrasion. According to their findings published on Langmuir, parts that featured this microtextured surface apparently outdid their counterparts with smooth-faced surfaces.
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