Biomimicry
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The witch hazel plant has quite a unique skill – it's able to shoot out its seeds at a speed of 30 feet (9 m) per second. Scientists now know how the plant does it, and believe that their findings could be applied to human technology.
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While we've seen a number of quadruped "robotic dogs" lately, they all require control motors to maintain their running gait. An experimental new one, however, keeps running on its own once it's been set in motion.
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Just last week, we heard about a robotic baby sea turtle that can "swim" through the sand. It's not the only robo-turtle in town, though, as another one has been developed to possibly one day lead real baby turtles to the safety of the sea.
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When baby sea turtles hatch from their buried eggs, they use their powerful flippers to make their way up through the sand. A new "sand-swimming" robot, inspired by those hatchlings, could one day save lives or even explore other planets.
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Inspections of tall metal structures can be difficult for people to perform up-close and in person, and while aerial drones may help, their limited battery life is a problem. That's where the magnetic-footed Magnecko robot is intended to come in.
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When handling fragile objects, robots need to have a delicate touch. And while some previous efforts to give them that touch have involved things like soft rubbery fingers, an experimental new one was inspired by a blooming rose.
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Imagine if there were inexpensive 3D-printed sensors that changed color to show us if something had gotten too warm or was subjected to too much stress. Well, there soon could be – and they'll biodegrade once discarded, to boot.
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While most of us may just think of krill as whale food, the tiny crustaceans are also very adept swimmers … enough so that scientists have developed a krill-inspired robotic platform in hopes of creating swarms of ocean-exploring swimming robots.
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Robotic versions of flying insects hold a lot of promise for numerous applications, but controlling their yaw axis while in flight has proven challenging. A new bee robot, however, addresses that problem with a clever design.
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Inspired by the wings of dragonflies and cicadas, researchers have developed a new coating for orthopedic implants. It not only shreds harmful bacteria, but also monitors stress on the system, meaning it could warn of impending implant failure.
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Although biped and quadruped robots may excel at traversing uneven terrain, they require multiple sensors and complex algorithms in order to do so. Scientists have now taken a "simpler" approach, by creating a robotic centipede.
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The utility of the humble mussel in the world of medicine has expanded once again. This time, researchers figured out how to use a mussel-based glue to hold stem cells in place long enough to repair cartilage inside a rabbit's body.
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