Meeting Abstract
In most engineering disciplines, biomimicry often refers to the design process where engineers mimic or gain inspiration from biological systems to develop new technologies. Common examples include robots inspired by snakes or elephant trunks, adhesives inspired by gecko toes or mollusk byssi, and tough ceramics inspired by bone or abalone nacre. However, research in biomimicry can not only inspire new engineering technologies – i.e., bioinspiration, but also be used to further explore biological systems – i.e., bioexploration. Here, we introduce the first generation of artificial exoskeletons inspired by the prehensile seahorse tail. Mimicking the skeletal structure and function of the seahorse tail, we fabricated two prototypes of articulating structures with different cross-sectional profiles (i.e., square and circular). After exploring the mechanics of the two geometries, we learned that the square exoskeleton has several mechanical advantages over its circular counterpart. Linking that back to the biological system, this discovery helps explain the adaptive nature of the architecture of the bony-plated armor and the tail composed of square segments in relation to its protective and grasping capacities.
