biomimicry
-
This Tongue-Like Robot Gripper Can Slurp Its Way Into Tight Spaces
In another example of unsettling biomimicry, engineering researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney were inspired by an elephant’s trunk and designed what looks more like a robotic tongue that can firmly grasp objects by wrapping around them like a snake.
-
This Remarkably Agile Robot Hand Teaches Itself How To Handle Objects
In a split second before you reach to pick up an object, your brain pre-calculates all the movements needed to safely reach and grasp it securely. It’s a subconscious approach that’s the result of years of childhood development and learning, and one that robotics researchers are now using for their own creations. Festo’s new BionicSoftHand…
-
Your Umbrella May Be Getting An Upgrade Thanks To Ladybird Wings
The common ladybird is easily recognised by its signature red and black spotted shell. But when researchers at the University of Tokyo used a creative trick to make its carapace transparent, it revealed insect wing secrets that could impact development of robotics, satellite antennas and microscopic medical instruments — perhaps even a re-imagining of the…
-
Scientists Made The Perfect Underwater Glue By Stealing An Idea From Shellfish
Even the strongest artificial glues are completely useless when you try to apply them underwater, but somehow shellfish are able to hold fast to rocks to deter predators from trying to carry them away. Clearly, nature has already figured out how to make glues that work underwater, and now researchers may have discovered the secret.