These wind turbine ‘winglets’ were inspired by the American condor

The startup Biome discovered that adding a feather-shaped tip to wind turbine blades could help generate 10% more power.

To design a better wind turbine, a startup called Biome took inspiration from the Andean condor. The massive bird—weighing as much as 35 pounds, with a wingspan as wide as 12 feet—can glide for hours without flapping its wings, covering as much as 150 miles. That’s because of the specific shape of its feathers.