Biomimetic flow control based on morphological features of living creatures

Despite the long history of biomimetics (or biomimetic engineering), a scientific discipline of implementing nature-inspired ideas to engineering systems for their performance enhancement, successful developments have been made only recently, especially in the field of flow control. In the present paper, we discuss flow controls based on the biomimetic approach, paying special attention to surface morphology of living creatures, to develop novel concepts or devices for drag reduction and aerodynamic performance enhancement. We consider two types of flow control devices: (1) devices attached or added to wing surfaces for high aerodynamic performance and (2) smart surfaces for low skin friction. Several examples of successful biomimetic flow controls are presented and discussed in this paper. Further issues like the difference in the operating environments (e. g., the Reynolds number) between the biological and engineering systems are discussed. Finally, guidelines for effective integration of engineering and biology are suggested. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4772063]