When first deployed, the world famous Japanese bullet trains created sonic booms when they when they exited tunnels which shook the windows 400m away.

In 1994, engineer Eiji Nakatsu solved the problem after hearing an observation from a colleague about how the air pressure in a tunnel caused the train to “shrink”.  It turns out that Nakatsu wasn’t just an engineer.  He was also was an avid bird watcher.

Deep observation of the natural world can lead to amazing innovations.  

From his birdwatching experiences, Nakatsu remembered the kingfisher. This bird dives at high speed from air to water with barely a splash.  He surmised that the shape of its bill was the key.

The engineering team analyzed the bill of the kingfisher and found it to be the most efficient shape by a wide margin to use as the nose of the train.

The design radically reduced the sonic boom and, in 1997, enabled the train to run at 300 km/h which was the world speed record at the time.  Less power needed, less fuel consumed, less money spent.  The kingfisher design saved the Japanese railway millions.

Look to nature for inspiration -- not just to energize and improve your thinking but for concrete ideas of what's possible.