Beetle-Inspired Water Bottle A metal bottle that looks like jelly on a plate. Stenocara Beetle The beetle collects condensation from the ocean breeze on the hardened shell of its wings. The shell is covered in tiny bumps that are water attracting (hydrophilic) at their tips and water-repelling (hydrophobic) at their sides. The beetle extends and aims the wings at incoming sea breezes to catch humid air; tiny droplets 15 to 20 microns in diameter eventually accumulate on its back and run straight down towards its mouth. The night's lower temperatures cool the metal. As the air warms, water condenses on the bottle's dome and travels down its grooves into a collecting channel at the base. The Namib Desert Beetle was the inspiration for starting the company. The founders of NBD set out to do Biomimicry and transfer the beetle’s shell properties to ordinary product surfaces. The company is located in Boston, USA. Since their founding, they have built on what they have learned from the Namib beetle to develop new and innovative products.
