I am not sure studying things in nature and creating exact models would be a good idea. Imagine trying to model a motor bike or a car by studying Cheetah(Fastest animal on ground). Nature may inspire to model/create useful things.
We create exact models to try to fully understand what is happening in nature, and then we mix the concepts into hybrid designs. This has been done for a number of MEMS insects, and has made them so much more efficient.