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These two lessons from our fuzzy friends could be useful in designing how agile robots analyze a target to jump toward and how they recoup missed marks, according to research published in August.
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But even if their next stop is flimsy, a squirrel’s expert-level recovery skills-possibly developed from past mistakes-almost always help them stick the landing. When navigating treetops, squirrels will risk a long-distance leap if there’s a sturdy branch to land on. “Depending on the results, we might be able to ‘tweak’ the spiral intestine design to make filters that are as effective as possible at filtering out microplastics from storm wastewater.” Squirrels Can Teach Robots a Lesson About Agility and Recovery “We plan on doing work this upcoming year to determine how effective the different morphologies are at filtering out various size particles,” Leigh tells Smithsonian via email. Studying these natural wonders of engineering could improve wastewater filtration systems for removing microplastics. “Sharks have all these different little tweaks to the Tesla valve design that could be making them more efficient,” study author Samantha Leigh, an animal physiologist at California State University, Dominguez Hills, told New Scientist in July. The twists, turns and funnels ease fluids forward, which could be an energy-saving form of digestion. This year, researchers found that these spiraled organs also resemble the design and function of Tesla valves. But shark intestines slowly move digested meals through spring-shaped spirals or nested funnels, depending on the species, to eke out every last calorie and get rid of the rest. Most creatures-including humans-have tubular intestines that require muscle contractions to push food through. In the animal kingdom, intestines come in all shapes and sizes. Intestines serve a similar purpose: absorb nutrients from food and flush out waste, which certainly shouldn’t go out the way it came in. He made the valves as part of a new steam engine he was working on, but filed for bankruptcy several months later, leaving the patent forgotten for decades.
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These valvular conduits, as Tesla himself called them, are made of a series of fixed, tear-shaped loops that allow fluid to easily travel through the device, but slow and block any returning liquids. In 1920, Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla designed a device without any moving parts that allows fluid to move in one direction while preventing backflow. Samantha Leigh/California State University, Dominguez Hills The organ begins on the left and ends on the right. Shark Intestines Function Like Tesla ValvesĪ CT scan of the spiral intestine of a Pacific spiny dogfish shark ( Squalus suckleyi). Here are ten findings from 2021 that could one day lead to new inventions. Discoveries in nature often inspire new designs for water filtration, solar panels, building materials and lots and lots of robots.
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These scenarios and more inspired scientists to take a closer look at the natural world this year, but their influence won’t stop there. Others, of course, get their spark from less likely sources: analyzing shark intestines or studying how microscopic water bears walk. Maybe watching squirrels navigate campus trees like parkour artists sparks curiosity about what goes through their furry little minds as they decide to jump from branch to branch. In science, inspiration can come from anywhere.Ī researcher might wonder about the thrust produced by butterfly wings as they flit through a meadow.