What advantage does the thorny devil have in the desert?
It hunts better than other lizards
It never gets too hot
It can drink water through its skin
It can survive without food
What is the author’s purpose in this article?
To explain desert survival skills
To show how nature inspires useful inventions
To advertise new robots for sale
To teach people about endangered animals
What problem does the spider web-inspired glass solve?
Spiders building webs indoors
Light shining too brightly
Birds flying into windows
Water dripping on glass
What is Ronald Fearing trying to create?
A climbing spider
A flying beetle
A robot fly
A mini wind turbine
What is a feature of the painless needle developed in Japan?
It uses termite mound structure
It is shaped like a mosquito’s proboscis
It is modeled after a shark’s fin
It was inspired by butterfly wings
What does “some things are just too mysterious and complicated…” refer to?
Robot body designs
Insect wings
Rescue operations
Real flies’ abilities
Why has biomimetics not been a major business success yet?
Nature is very complex
The materials are too weak
Companies don’t fund science
People are not interested
What made Velcro a famous biomimetic product?
It helped robots climb walls
It was inspired by how seeds stick to fur
It allowed faster trains
It was copied from a termite nest
What is the main use the U.S. military wants for Stickybot?
To rescue people from buildings
To copy a lizard’s foot
To fight in extreme heat
To monitor areas from walls
What does biomimetics research often require?
Microscopes but no engineers
Only natural materials
Strong animal bones
A lot of time and technology
What inspired the idea for improving solar panels?
The fins of a whale
The shape of a fly’s eye
The claws of a lizard
The wings of butterflies
What limits Stickybot’s ability compared to a real gecko?
It works only in water
It moves too fast
It can only climb smooth surfaces
It can’t stick to walls at all
Why did Andrew Parker go to the Australian desert?
to capture and bring back a thorny devil
to prove that thorny devils don’t need water
to learn how the thorny devil collects water
to study the diet of the thorny devil
How is biomimetics used in phone screen design?
By imitating the thorny devil’s skin
By copying the texture of termite mounds
By using parts from robot flies
By studying butterflies and beetles
What do Rubner and Cohen believe about using ideas from nature?
Nature already provides perfect tools
Biomimetics is mostly used in art
Copying nature exactly always works
Nature is only a starting point