Seahorse tail inspires robotic arm team

The tail of a seahorse can be compressed to about half its size before permanent damage occurs and this flexibility is due to its structure, made up of bony, armoured plates that slide past each other.

If successfully replicated, the seahorse-inspired robotic arm could be used in medical devices, underwater exploration and unmanned bomb detection and detonation.

UC San Diego engineers, led by materials science professors Joanna McKittrick and Marc Meyers, detailed their findings in the March 2013 issue of the journal Acta Biomaterialia.

‘The study of natural materials can lead to the creation of new and unique materials and structures inspired by nature that are stronger, tougher, lighter and more flexible,’ said McKittrick, a professor of materials science at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.

Researchers took segments from seahorses’ tails and compressed them from different angles. They found that the tail could be compressed by nearly 50 per cent of its original width before permanent damage occurred.