Biomimicry

Sea anemones are essentially soft-bodied tubes, that are capable of capturing a wide variety of prey items simply by engulfing them. Chinese scientists have now copied this concept in the form of what may be a "better" robotic grasper.

When it comes to body armor, there's typically a trade-off – it can either be highly impact-resistant or flexible, but not both. That may not be the case for much longer, however, thanks to an experimental new material inspired by a mollusc.

Hokkaido University’s ongoing research into hydrogels has borne fresh fruit: a new polymer-based material that, unlike other polymers, hardens when heated – by 1,800 times.

Thanks to a new understanding of how bones maintain their strength, we may someday see bone-inspired materials used in longer-lasting products such as aircraft wings. The findings could also lead to better treatments for conditions like osteoporosis.

We're used to thinking of fakes and forgeries with disdain, but a new innovation from the University of Oxford looks set to buck that trend: fake rhinoceros horn. Rhino populations have been devastated by poaching due to demand for their horn.

This week, roboticists at MIT have demonstrated a new robot with an extending limb that grows a bit like a plant. The appendage can weave its way through confined spaces before lifting a heavy load.

We've watched with interest as subsequent developments have allowed RoboBee to fly, swim, hover, perch and lose its tether. Now it's become the first microrobot to achieve controlled flight using soft artificial muscles.

Although sutures are routinely used to close wounds within the body, they can actually damage fragile biological tissue, causing infections or other complications. Scientists at MIT have developed what could be a better way to go, in the form of a double-sided tape.

We recently heard how scientists from the University of Washington had developed a suction cup inspired by the clingfish. Well, researchers at UC San Diego have taken a different approach to create one of their own, and they've even used it on an underwater robot.

Hazardous places such as burning buildings can be dangerous to explore, which is why scientists are increasingly looking at using swarms of tiny drones to do the job. A bioinspired navigation system could help make such life-saving swarms a reality.

It's not uncommon for us humans to communicate via pokes and other skin-on-skin gestures. Could the same thing work for communicating with devices? It turns out that if you give those gadgets a coating of "Skin-On" artificial skin, the answer is Yes.

Scientists have developed a clingfish-inspired suction cup, that outperforms the actual fish itself.