Also: dermal denticles, riblets, drag reduction
Shark skin is covered in tiny tooth-like scales called denticles. Their shape has inspired drag-reducing surfaces and antibacterial patterns.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Dean and Bhushan reviewed shark-skin-inspired surfaces for reducing drag in turbulent flow.
Built / tested: riblet surfaces
As reported in: Dean, Bhushan (2010). Shark-skin surfaces for fluid-drag reduction in turbulent flow: a review. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0201
Abstract only
Oeffner and Lauder used a robotic flapping foil to show real shark skin can increase swimming speed; the biomimetic materials they tested did not match that effect.
Built / tested: biomimetic shark skin
As reported in: Oeffner, Lauder (2012). The hydrodynamic function of shark skin and two biomimetic applications. Journal of Experimental Biology. doi:10.1242/jeb.063040