The Airdrop Irrigation system works by taking moisture from the air and delivering water to the roots of crops via sub surface irrigation. Photo by Edward Linacre.

Let’s hear it for the Namibian desert beetle. This beetle’s strategy for obtaining water out of the air is one of the most frequently mimicked strategies.

An Australian engineer, Edward Linacre, won the 2011 James Dyson Award for creating a self-powered pump to be used for irrigation. Called the Airdrop, the pump takes inspiration from the beetle’s survival mechanism of condensing water from the air. The Airdrop pumps air through a network of underground pipes to cool it to the point at which the water condenses. The water is then distributed to plants.

We think what’s additionally exciting about this award is that Sir James Dyson, inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner line, is aware of the added value of having biomimicry in an innovator’s tool chest.

Read more about the invention and watch Linacre’s talk about his idea here.