We still have so much to learn from the natural world. In fact, it seems like many technological breakthroughs seek to mimic natural systems that have been functioning for thousands, if not millions, of years. Solar panels convert sunlight into energy like photosynthesis in the leaves of plants, honeycomb designs are increasingly seen in artitecture to increase strength while minimising materials, now shark’s scales are being used to design better drones, planes, and wind turbines. The Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities can also look to nature for inspiration according to many leading experts. At the Honeywell Technology Day in London, Martin L Frohock, ARM’s head of Facility Management (FM), associated the algorithm that desert ants use to regulate their foraging as similar to TCP protocol, which regulates the internet. Frohock said ants use their “anternet” for “positive feedback for transmission acknowledgement”. Their “data package” is food that they gather from other ants returning […]