Animal inspired
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Ocean hitchhiker’s sucker mechanism offers potential for underwater adhesion
A new study has revealed how remora suckerfish detach themselves from the surfaces they’ve clung to – and how the mechanism could provide inspiration for future reversible underwater adhesion devices. The research, by an international, multidisciplinary team working across robotics, comparative biology, and electrical engineering, investigated the detachment mechanism of the remora’s suction disc, and […]
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Meet the new guardians of the ocean – robot jellyfish
New robot jellyfish could be the key to monitoring and caring for fragile parts of the world’s oceans without damaging them. The robots were developed by a team of US scientists, from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and the US Office of Naval Research. They were designed to be able to swim freely, steer from side […]
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How dragonfly larvae could inspire more effective artificial heart valves
The way dragonfly larvae control the water jets they use to move and breathe could have a range of engineering and medical applications, according to new research. Published in Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, the study from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), examined how Anisopteran dragonfly larvae control and adjust the repetitive water jets flowing through […]
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Drones could benefit from animals’ magnetic navigation techniques
Research by the US Air Force has found that magnetic navigation techniques used by some animals could allow autonomous vehicles to find their way without maps or GPS. The study, published today in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, used computer modelling to investigate the feasibility of animals using rare and/or unique combinations of magnetic properties […]
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Stanford scientist wins inaugural Steven Vogel Young Researcher award
Dr David Lentink from Stanford University, USA, has been named winner of the inaugural Bioinspiration & Biomimetics Steven Vogel Young Investigator Award 2017. The award recognises early career excellence in the journal’s field, and is open to researchers in the 10 years after completing their PhD. Dr Lentink’s multidisciplinary laboratory at Stanford University studies biological […]
