Copying the nanostructure of butterfly wings can make today’s best thermal imagers far less expensive. Nanotechnology aims to duplicate what nature does, and this bio-inspired technology can significantly lower the cost of manufacturing vital gadgets.

GE Global Researchers view nature as inspirational in their recent work involving the development of better thermal imaging. The technique of thermal imaging significantly applies to a wide range of environments and industries. Currently, infrared detectors that are commonly in use are very expensive, but they play crucial roles.

The research by GE Global Researchers published in the journal Nature Photonics was inspired by the designs of iridescence Morpho butterfly scales. This study was about low-thermal-mass resonators. In this study, the experiment involved smearing the scales of the Morpho butterfly consisting of changing colors with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs).

When the researchers blew the butterfly …