If you have driven down a dark road, you have often seen glimpses of bright flashes in the middle of the street. These light reflectors or cat’s eyes are used in road marking to allow drivers to safely drive within their lane. English inventor Percy Shaw patented the reflective road stud in 1934 after getting inspired by a cat’s eyes reflecting light. This is a feline phenomenon caused by the tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the photosensitive lens that bounces photons, giving the eyes a bright appearance. Its role is to maximize the amount of light the eyes are receiving so that the cat can see better in the dark. Inventor Shaw used this bioinspiration to make the raised stud reflect light from the headlights of cars.
Learn about our two Decals!
Click here to find out more about our Fall Bioinspired Design Decal and our Spring Bioinspired Design in Action Decal – ALL MAJORS are welcome.Berkeley BioDesign Community
Click here to learn about the BioD: Bio-Inspired Design @ Berkeley student organization or here to signup for more info.
I imagine that the neurological circuits underlying these processes are governed by both 2d spacing maps with their brains as…
to reduce the impact of car accidents, it may be possible to study the force diverting physics of cockroaches to…
you see this type of head-bobbing stability in many avian creatures related to pigeons like chickens. the head ability to…
not like they taught horses how to run! this is an example of convergent evolution where both sea creatures and…
The brain functions in a similar way with neuronal connections. our brains are able to utilize the multiplicity of connections…