One of the subdisciplines of biophysics is biomimetics: using principles found in nature to make better man-made structures. For instance, chemists at Georgia Tech have made artificial gecko feet on silicon wafers; physicists at the University of Manchester previously made gecko tape. The artificial gecko feet actually adhere more strongly than some real gecko feet.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odAifbpDbhs[/youtube]
Update: Robert Full (UC Berkeley) has a “stickybot” that can climb vertical glass surfaces. This is one biomimetic technology that looks like it’s about to become useful.