Seahorse Tails May be the Secret to More Powerful Robots

Why is the seahorse's tail square? Scientists may have the answer. Researchers have looked at the seahorse's tail, which may lead to building better robots and medical devices in the future.

"Almost all animal tails have circular or oval cross-sections-but not the seahorse's," said Michael Porter, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We wondered why. We found that the squared-shaped tails are better when both grasping and armor are needed."

In this latest study, the scientists used a wide range of techniques, including 3D-printing a simplified model of the seahorse's tail, which they then bent, twisted compressed and crushed. The researchers also 3D-printed and ran similar experiments on a tail model made of overlapping, round segments that they designed and that is not found in nature.

"New technologies, like 3D printing, allow us to mimic biological designs, but also build hypothetical models of designs not found in nature," said Porter. "We can then test them against each other to find inspiration for new engineering applications and also explain why biological systems may have evolved."

The researchers compressed the models made of 3D-printed segments and compared their behavior to 3D-printed solid structures with square and circular cross-sections, but without segments. They found that a seahorse's tail has joints at the exact locations where the solid structures fail when crushed. This allows the structures to absorb more energy on impact.

The findings could be huge for developing robots in the future. One possibility is to scale up the structure of a seahorse's tail to build a gripping robotic arm that can be used in hostile environments. Another application is to scale it down to build a catheter.

The findings are published in the journal Science.

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