Can optical structures in bird feathers trigger a technological revolution?

For years, engineers have struggled to create a usable structure known as a gyroid, a quirky multi-surface object that can both reflect light and conduct electricity and possibly hold the key to a variety of photonics-related technologies, from advanced solar technology Plates to fuel cells. Yale researchers have found a possible solution to this challenge in a bird’s wing.

A new Yale video highlights a discovery by a team of researchers – including Vinod Kumar Saranathan, Senior Research Fellow at Yale-NUS College, and Richard Prum, William Robertson Coe Professor of Ornithology at Yale – and its potential impact on the future of technology.