The movie Dune that hit theaters a week before halloween this year featured helicopters that resembled dragonflies. This futuristic design was not chosen only for its looks, but also for its practicality.

Dragonflies have 4 important wings, a frontwing and hingwing on either side. Dragonfly wings are made of a membrane that feels like a leaf. Hollow tubes in the wings function as structural support. Dragonfly wings also have grooves which prevent them from snapping because of the repeated flapping motion.

The veins in dragonfly wings get larger as they go from the outside of the wing to the inside. The edge of the wing, called the costa, is not directly connected to the nodus, which allows the wing to change shapes. The nodus functions like a shock absorber that allows the wing to withstand extreme tension and allows the wing to rotate slightly.

The trailing edge of the wing has small structures that reduce drag and allow the dragonfly to fly faster with less energy.

Dragonfly wings are waxy, just like leaves. Dragonflies are usually seen around water bodies, and can easily get wet. Without this waxy protective layer, dragonfly wings will easily get wet and heavy, causing the dragonfly to become immobile until the wings dry.

Dragonfly wings are not designed to be able to withstand compression. Some dragonflies that have encountered these forces may have wings that have wrinkles or tears.

Dragonflies have a unique method of flapping their wings. To maximize their forward force and reduce the drag, dragonflies angle their wings to slice the air. To accelerate forward, dragonflies angle their wings and push the air backwards and downwards to increase the amount of air that is pushed. To return to their original position, the wings angle parallel to the air and slice upward so that no energy is used to push it back down. Other animals have a symmetric flight motion with an equal propelling and drag force.

In Dune, the efficiency of these wings are replicated, allowing these futuristic helicopters to travel at high speeds and evade attacks from the horrific sandworm.