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Here is another good example.

Lotuses grow in muddy lakes and ponds.

When you look at lotus leaves, however, you will notice the surfaces appear dry and clean.

You may also see water drops rolling off the leaves.

If you look at a lotus leaf carefully, you will find a large number of micro bumps on its surface.

Thanks to the bumps, raindrops rolling there touch the surface very little.

The raindrops keep their round shapes.

When the leaf swing in the wind, those raindrops clean dirt off the surface as they roll.

This is how lotuses keep their leaves dry and clean.

This self-cleaning ability is called the “lotus effect.”

People have used it in various kinds of products, such as toilet bowls and outside mirrors on cars.

Even cars without wipers are now under development.

There will probably be many more uses in the future,too.