Ultra-sensitive Whiskers Inspire Hydrodynamic Surface

Harbor seals use their whiskers to detect small vortex changes in the water caused by the movement of their prey, enabling hunting, even in pitch-dark conditions.
Seal whiskers utilize repeated, angled undulations throughout each whisker's length that shift the regular hydrodynamic vibration rhythms, allowing the structure to glide through the water without causing significant vortex-induced vibrations. With such little noise from the vortices produced by the whiskers, the seal can detect changes in the surrounding water to the micron level.
Based on the biological knowledge gained from harbor seal whiskers, imagine designing water monitoring instruments, mooring chains, cables, antennas, or navigation devices with these principles in mind.