The research sheds light on the biology of the mantis shrimp, which is famed for its superhuman vision, incredible strength and psychedelic colouring. Mantis shrimps are armed with club-like appendages which accelerate faster than a bullet from a rifle, breaking through shell and cartilage.
“The idea of a loaded spring released by a latch is a staple in mechanical design, but the research team cleverly observed that engineers have yet to achieve the same performance out of a 'Latch-Mediated Spring Actuator' that we find in nature,” said Dr Dean Culver, of the Army Research Laboratory.
“By closely mimicking the geometry of a mantis shrimp's physiology, the team was able to exceed accelerations produced by limbs in other robotic devices by more than tenfold.”
How mantis shrimps produce these extreme movements has fascinated biologists; recent advances in high-speed imaging have made it possible to watch these strikes, although some mechanics...