Using the Basking Shark as a model.
Industrial designer Anthony Reale was inspired by the natural flow of water through a basking shark to design a water turbine that could be used to harness the energy of the Detroit River. The basking shark swims for eighteen hours a day with its five foot-wide mouth open to sift for food.
Reale thinks that this model of water flow is more efficient than conventional turbines. He built a prototype and tested it successfully in an experimental water tank. The linked video tells Reale’s story of envisioning and creating this turbine.