Hungry penguins have inspired a novel way of making sure computer code in smart cars does not crash, according to BBC.

Tools based on the way the birds co-operatively hunt for fish are being developed to test different ways of organising in-car software.

The tools look for safe ways to organise code in the same way that penguins seek food sources in the open ocean.

Experts said such testing systems would be vital as cars get more connected.

Engineers have often turned to nature for good solutions to tricky problems, said Prof Yiannis Papadopoulos, a computer scientist at the University of Hull who, together with Dr Youcef Gheraibia from Algeria, developed the penguin-inspired testing system.

The way ants pass messages among nest-mates has helped telecoms firms keep telephone networks running, and many robots get around using methods of locomotion based on the ways animals move.