Creating aerodynamic transportation

Nature always gives info to the matter. It is the case of the marine boxfishes (Teleostei: Ostraciidae) mostly shallow-water, tropical reef-dwelling fishes that have 2/3–3/4 of their bodies encased in rigid bony carapaces, which are keeled with various protuberances (Tyler, 1980; Nelson, 1994). As a result, many boxfishes cannot bend their bodies anterior to their caudal peduncles, and almost all of their swimming movements derive from complex combinations of motions of their five fins. Field observations and recent studies on the swimming physiology of boxfishes indicate that they are capable of remarkably low recoil motions, resulting in smooth, energy-efficient swimming trajectories that do not compromise maneuverability...Hove et al. (2001) found that boxfishes exhibit some of the smallest amplitude recoil moments known among fishes. As a result they swim in smoother trajectories than either body and caudal fin (BCF) or single- complex median and paired fin (MPF) swimmers. Results from our study [study looked at four species: spotted boxfish Ostracion meleagris, smooth trunkfish Lactophrys triqueter, scrawled cowfish Acanthostracion quadricornis, and buffalo trunkfish Lactophrys trigonus] indicate that the keeled bony carapace plays an important role in producing this longitudinal stability. Control for pitching is important for fishes, such as boxfishes, that live in highly energetic waters with frequent external disturbances like turbulence. In these environments, effective compensation for perturbations, which can lead to significant displacements and energy-wasting erratic trajectories, is essential for effective and economical swimming (Weihs, 1993; Webb, 2000). Maintenance of smooth swimming trajectories also presumably improves sensory acuity of both hostile and target objects because it reduces complexity of movement, a factor that improves sensory perception in other animals (Land, 1999; Kramer and McLaughlin, 2001)." (Bartol et al. 2002:971, 979) HAre you curious and you want to know more? Have a look to http://www.asknature.org/ a project of http://biomimicryinstitute.org/