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Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention

Episode 1: Nature Knows Best

Duration: 30 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC One HDLatest broadcast: on BBC HD

Wallace and Gromit explore the wonders of the natural world and look at inventions inspired by Mother Nature. We visit some incredible flying penguins and other elegant manta-ray-inspired robots at Festo in Germany and visit Malawi, where scientists are studying the intricate structures of termite mounds to create self-cooling houses of the future.

In Holland we meet the brilliant sculptor Theo Jansen as he shows us his latest amazing contraption, the Animaris Siamesis - a huge insect-like structure that moves independently and gracefully with the wind. In Israel, Jem Stansfield meets a man who has invented a fish-like 'gill' which could allow humans to breathe underwater and we look at some weird and wonderful fly-eating furniture based on the Venus Fly Trap plant and other carnivorous plants. Finally, Wallace, with the help of his friend Goronwy, gives us a run-down of his top five animal-inspired inventions. Show less

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