Venus flytrap inspires 3D printed objects with 'embodied logic'

Designed by a group at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, the structures - despite having no motors, batteries, circuits or processors - are able to respond in a variety of ways to a number of pre-determined environmental cues.

This artificial Venus flytrap only closes when a weight is inside and the actuator is exposed to a solvent. Structures with "embodied logic" can have even more complicated behaviors, all without motors or computers. CREDIT: University of Pennsylvania

Produced using multi-material 3D printers they mimic the behaviour of the Venus flytrap, which despite having no brain or nervous systems, appears to be able to make decisions about when to snap shut on potential prey, as well as to open when it has accidentally caught something it can't eat.

The group claims that the principles demonstrated by its work could be used to develop sensors for use in remote, harsh environments such as deserts or even other planets. Without a need for batteries or computers, such sensors could remain dormant for years without human interaction, only springing into action when presented with the right environmental cue.