Carnegie Mellon University School of Engineering Professor Carmel Majidi and research teams from Spain and Poland have developed a groundbreaking robotic system that draws inspiration from ancient paleo animals. The team’s creation is a soft robot modeled after echinoderms, marine creatures that thrived during the Paleozoic Era approximately 450 million years ago. This remarkable achievement was recently published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.
By combining the fields of paleontology and soft robotics, the researchers sought to gain insights into the biomechanical factors that contributed to the evolution of living organisms. Their ultimate goal is to develop an innovative robot system based on a deep understanding of natural evolution. Biomechanics, a branch of science that examines the movement of living organisms from an engineering perspective, played a central role in this interdisciplinary endeavor.
The focus of the study was on echinoderms, which encompass fascinating species such as sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and starfish. These creatures utilize muscular tentacle-like structures called tube feet to breathe, move across surfaces, and capture prey. During the early Paleozoic Period, an echinoderm known as floresistid emerged as an important evolutionary precursor in the use of muscular tube feet for locomotion.
To replicate the structure of tube feet, the researchers meticulously examined floresistid fossils. They utilized 3D printing technology to create a partial replica of the tube foot, which was then combined with a polymer composite to recreate the intricate structure of the ancient floresistids’ appendages. Through these experiments, the researchers confirmed that Paleozoic echinoderms employed their muscular tube feet to effectively navigate and traverse the sea floor. Importantly, they discovered that elongated tube feet allowed for faster movement without excessive energy expenditure.
Professor Majidi highlighted the significance of soft robotics, a field that employs flexible materials to construct robotic limbs and components. He explained, “We aimed to explore how the principles of biological movement have evolved over time.” Additionally, Jack Patterson, a postdoctoral researcher from the Kennedy Mellon Institute of Technology and MIT who participated in the study, commented on the potential of developing efficient movement strategies for future robotic systems inspired by echinoderms.
This groundbreaking research demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing extinct organisms to create soft robots. Looking ahead, the team plans to recreate the first organism that transitioned from sea to land as a soft robot, opening up an exciting realm of possibilities in robotic design and innovation.
Soft Robot Modeled After Floresistid. Provided by the Kennedy Mellon University College of Engineering
The research team is studying a new robotic system that incorporates the evolutionary process of paleo animals. Provided by Getty Image Bank
A soft robot modeled after the echinoderms that lived in the Paleozoic Era 450 million years ago has been developed.
The research team led by Carnegie Mellon University School of Engineering Professor Carmel Majidi, along with Spanish and Polish palaeontology research teams, developed a soft robot modeled after the muscular tentacles in the extinct ‘pleurocystitid’ paleoanthropomorph fossil and launched it on the 6th (local time). Time) It was published in the international academic journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS).’
The research team combined the technology of paleontology and soft robotics to understand the biomechanical factors that led to the evolution of living organisms. The purpose is to develop a new robot system based on an understanding of the evolution of living things. Biomechanics is a field that studies the movement of living things from a mechanical engineering perspective.
The echinoderms used in this study are a phylum of marine animals and include sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and starfish. They inhale and exhale with tentacle-like organs called tube feet, the ends of which are made of muscle and are used to move on the ground or catch prey.
Among these, floresistids are an echinoderm that lived in the early Paleozoic Period, about 450 million years ago, and became extinct, and it is known to be the first echinoderm to use muscular tube feet to move its body.
The research team mimicked the structure of the tube foot by referring to floresistid fossils. First, part of the tube foot structure was created by 3D printing, and then a polymer composite was combined to reproduce the tube foot of ancient floresistids.
Through this, it was confirmed that Paleozoic echinoderms were able to use their muscular tube feet to move forward and thereby move the seabed. They found that as the length of the tube feet increased, the organism could move faster without expending much energy.
Professor Majidi said, “Soft robotics is a technology that uses soft materials to create flexible robot limbs and parts,” and added, “We looked at how the principles of biological movement currently used have changed through’ the process of evolution.”
Jack Patterson, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kennedy Mellon Institute of Technology and MIT who participated in the research, said, “I don’t think a starfish robot will necessarily need to have five arms to move,” and added, “We would develops an efficient movement strategy to develop the robot’s movement.” he added.
The research team, who proved through this study that it is possible to create a soft robot using extinct organisms, plans to reproduce the first organism that migrated from sea to land as a soft robot in the future.
Soft robot modeled after Floresistide. Provided by the Kennedy Mellon University College of Engineering
#starfish #ancestor #million #years #revived #robot #Donga #Science
