Biomimicry

"The wandering spider boasts one of the world’s most sensitive vibration detectors: It can pick up the slightest rustling of a leaf from several meters away. Now, scientists have developed similar sensors that can detect simple human speech. The technology could lead to wearable electronics for speech recognition, health monitoring, and more."

"Many mammals, including seals and rats, rely on their whiskers to sense their way through dark environments. Inspired by these animals, scientists working at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois' Advanced Digital Sciences Centre in Singapore have developed a robotic 'whisker' tactile sensor array designed to produce tomographic images by measuring fluid flow."

"A fruit fly's sense of smell could potentially be used to sniff out bombs and drugs, according to a new study. Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) can detect smells such as those from wine, which the insects are naturally attracted to because it smells like their favorite food, fermenting fruit. Now, new research shows that their keen "noses" could with just as much accuracy identify odors from illicit drugs and explosive substances as well."