Communications of the ACM
Bio-Inspired Robotics: Learning From Dragonflies
Kiel University's scientists have adapted the biomechanical functional principles of the labial mask for robotics.
Credit: Alexander Kohnsen/CAU Kiel
\Scientists at Germany's Kiel University (CAU) have decrypted the biomechanical function of the labial mask of dragonfly larvae, leading to a bio-inspired robot modeled after the same operating principle.
CAU's Sebastian Büsse said, "What is ideal about robotics is that it functions in two directions: we learn something about biology and develop something that can be applied in technology."
The CAU team first deciphered the labial mask's operating principle, describing a synchronized dual-catapult system and visualizing its movements via three-dimensional (3D) animation to test this hypothesis.
Büsse said system improvements derived from these observations could be applied to enhance the performance of agile robots. CAU's Stanislav N. Gorb said the 3D-printed robot subsequently produced by the researchers "has provided us with more detailed insight into the operating principle of the biological model."
From Kiel University (Germany)
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