Adding to the list from nature that has inspired robotics development is the seahorse. And what is it about the seahorse that is so applicable to robots? It’s the tail. Actually, it’s the shape of the tail that is important for future bots.
I did not realize until I read this post on Gizmag, that seahorses have square-shaped tails. This unique structure allows for great strength and flexibility.
The researchers used 3-D printers to build prototypes of the seahorse tail structures and found that the square shape was more durable and stronger than a cylindrical shape.
The key to better, tougher and more coordinated robots as well as improved surgical procedures, among other advances, could derive their inspiration from an unlikely source – the odd, square tail of the all-around strange seahorse.
So, once again nature is proving to be a model for the development of new and useful robots. You can read the complete article on this at the link below. Let RobotNext know what you think about this.
Source: Gizmag – The key to awesome future robots could be seahorse tails