because biomechanics is everywhere!
Image credit: Pixabay (adopted from Leuzinger 2022)
Ever wondered how ants generate such extraordinary force despite their size? Beyond curiosity, understanding their biomechanics can inspire real-world advancements in fields like micro-robotics, bio-engineering, materials science, and prosthetics. Discover how these tiny powerhouses hold the key to strength, efficiency, and adaptability.
Continue reading ““Ant Power Unleashed: The Secret of Muscle and Scale””How Close are we to a Pacific Rim Reality?
Remember those giant hybrid kaiju-fighting robots from Pacific Rim where the brain of a kaiju (strange beast in Japanese) has successfully infected the mechanical brain of the robots and turned human’s greatest defense against them ? Well, it turns out, the boundary between science fiction and reality isn’t as far as we thought. A researched field “Necrobotics” has taken the world by storm and it is so new that Google is still highlighting “Necrobotics” as red. Imagine a world where nature’s most complex design is integrated into human’s innovation, leading to the most incredible biohybrid systems. If you are drawn the future application of this field or the potential harmony between biology and robotics, you’re in for a treat. In this blog post, we’ll be exploring the existing researches within Necrobotics and the future outlook on this unique field.
Necrobotics, a term derived from “Latinized form of Greek nekros” (relating to death ) and “robotics,” may sound a tad bit eerie, but it’s far from sinister. In fact, it’s all about bringing life to machines. The heart of the research is focused on producing biohybrid system that utilizes the intricate abilities of a living organism while combining with the precision and flawless decision making skills of a robot. Similar to our natural world, it draws inspiration from our environment such as the symbiotic relationship of Bees feeding on a flower’s nectar while carrying its pollen from plant to plant.
So, why should you be interested in this intersection of biology and technology? The applications are nothing short of astounding. One day, we will have biohybrid robots aiding in disaster relief events, enhancing our healthcare capabilities and assisting us in answering humankind most complex questions. These robots are able to mimic natural organism abilities, making them more adaptable, versatile, and resilient than conventional robots. From robotic limbs that respond to neural signals in the body to machines that slither like snakes, Necrobotics are in prime position to push humankind to the next level.
Scientists and engineers have developed a variety of technology by studying organisms that have evolved over millennia of evolution. These technology include surface wettability modification based on lotus leaves and Namib beetles, adhesion mechanisms that mimic gecko toes, and even sensing for smart materials by imitating the color-changing chameleon and the humidity-sensitive pine cone. In order to inform the design of robots and actuators, researchers have also taken inspiration from the locomotion of aquatic and terrestrial animals, such as starfish, jellyfish, and cephalopod. Here is a famous example of dead spider corpse used as a mechanical claw.
In conclusion, these scientific topics may have been initially perceived as science fiction but it has quickly garnered attention and are becoming a crucial step for mankind to take. Future discoveries in this field will have the potential to redefine countless industries while acknowledge nature’s design. So if you’ve ever imagined a time where science and nature coexist, now is the perfect time to get excited about necroboticsᅳthe future is here, and it’s amazing.
Read more: Pacific Rim In Real Life?
Have you ever been in the gym and wished that you could lift more? Maybe the solution is hidden underneath the anthill in your backyard. Ant’s are fascinating creatures with remarkable biomechanical properties. Their complex anatomy lends to one of the anomalies in strength of the natural world.
Ant jaws and neck structure allows them to carry weights well over 5,000 times their own weight. For comparison, that would be a 180 lb. man being able to lift 2 Statues of Libertys stacked on each other with his mouth and neck. This incredible feat of strength has been the study of many biologists, because if able to harness this ratio of power, the world would change.
The strength of ants come from the construction of their neck and mandible movements. The geometry of their bodies have been studied by Anderson, Rivera, and Suarez. Their study focused around the geometries of ant’s bodies, especially around the neck area and their center of mass. As seen below in Figure 1, calculations can be made to find the center of mass with variations on species.
From these equations, scientists can understand the positions, proportions, and masses that the ants need in order to create the center of mass needed to hoist large masses over their heads.
Another approach to understanding how ants can lift weights so much heavier than themselves is understanding the biological construction of their necks. The way that Nguyen, Lilly, and Castro found the geometry of ant necks was by using various computer based techniques such as computed tomography and other forms of modeling based off of mechanical data. An example of a computer model based on mechanical data can be seen below in figure 2.
An example of the mechanical testing that Nguyen, Lilly, and Castro conducted involved creating a custom made centrifuge where ants were attached to the edges of the centrifuge by their jaws. By spinning the centrifuge around, the ants are subject to the centripetal force away from their jaws, imitating the force of an ant pulling something with its jaw. By finding the deformation in the jaw, which is the jaw changing it’s geometry due to force being applied, scientists were able to find the stiffness of the jaw and the resistance to deformation (modulus of elasticity). A visual of the experimental schematic can be seen in figure 3.
If able to harness the mechanical advantage that worker ants possess, the applications would be endless. Ranging from construction, to creating medical devices, and many other industries, being able to lift massive loads with minimal equipment would prove useful for the entire world. An example would be a small forklift being able to lift an aircraft carrier just be proportion of strength to weight that mimics an ant. The ongoing research looks promising, and we can only hope we can mimic the strength of the tiny insects we see everyday.
When one imagines the wonders of the natural world, the spider is not the first organism that comes to mind. However, possibly the most hated beings in all creation produce one of nature’s marvels: spider silk.
Spider silk has a number of properties that make it such an impressive material. First, spider silk is incredibly strong and tough. Spider silk is stronger than steel, and its toughness, or ability to absorb energy, is nearly three times that of Kevlar. And spider silk weighs less than both materials. These three properties alone would qualify spider silk as a super-material. The structural and ballistic industries stand to be disrupted by spider silk materials. For example, because spider silk can absorb energy better than Kevlar and is more lightweight, spider silk would be an excellent material for military and civilian self defense applications.
Spider silk also has an elasticity similar to that of human tendons while exhibiting a near perfect resistance to fatigue. Hennecke et al. show that spider silk has a similar stress-strain curve to that of a human tendon, and both materials have a memory which allows them to recover their form after loading. Tendons are constantly being loaded and unloaded throughout their life. Finding adequate materials for artificial tendons is particularly difficult, because most materials begin to lose their properties in cyclic loading, leading to a defined and small life time for the number of cycles tendons are forced through. But spider silk does not appear to lose its strength or elasticity even after high numbers of cycles.
In addition to these physical properties, spider silk also has been found to be both antiseptic as well as biocompatible. Spider silk has been used for medicine since ancient times due to its antiseptic properties, and for this reason, as well as its strength and toughness, spider silk is an excellent component in salves and bandages. Artificial tendons are prone to infection, and so spider silk’s antiseptic property is another reason why it is an ideal material for this application. Because spider silk is also biocompatible, as well as tough, it is a viable material for organ repair.
Continue reading “The Amazing Spider Silk”The Dracula Ant or Mystrium Camillae is the fastest animal in the world thanks to its spring loaded snap which travels over 200 miles per hour or 90 meters per second. In this video we briefly explore how this is possible.
Dionea Muscipula, also known as the Venus Fly Trap, is universally considered an interesting and eye-catching plant. Most people are fascinated by its ability to snap its lobes closed around prey, allowing it to then chemically dissolve the trapped animal and subsequently absorb nutrients from its body. What most people fail to realize is the incredible amount of biomechanics required for this plant to survive. Not only is this information useful and interesting to know, but it is crucial for scientists to better understand how plants can respond to physical stimuli.
Continue reading “Secrets of the Rapid Snapping Mechanism of a Venus Fly Trap”The name archerfish refers to seven species of freshwater fish that are all members of the Toxotes genus. These fish derive their name from their ability to hunt land-based creatures, ranging from insects to small lizards, using jets of water shot from their mouth with remarkable accuracy. They only grow to a maximum of a foot long, but they’ve been recorded in the wild propelling their water jets distances of up to two meters. A recent study in the Journal of Experimental Biology was conducted by Stephan Schuster to investigate the mechanics behind their unorthodox hunting technique.
Continue reading “Archerfish: Nature’s Master Marksmen”
