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The Biophysical Society announced last week that a team of scientists is developing a robot that mimics the movements of ancient animals such as Pleurocystitis, a marine creature that lived about 500 million years ago.
Carnegie Mellon University scientist Richard Desatnik worked with European paleontologists to create these robots, called “soft robots.”
Soft robots are made from soft materials and designed to have mechanical properties similar to biological tissue, giving the robot flexibility and increased safety in human interactions. These robots are suitable for use in medical equipment and for improving the efficiency of various tasks.
Additionally, the greater flexibility of these robots could make them useful for ocean and space exploration, or for performing specific tasks in those environments, according to the Biophysical Society report.
“We have learned a lot from modern animals, but they represent only 1% of the animals that have existed in Earth’s history. We have learned a lot from the other 99% of animals that once roamed the Earth. “We want to see if we can learn anything from the creatures of Earth,” Desatnik said.
“There are animals that have been very successful over millions of years, and the reason they went extinct wasn’t because they weren’t biologically successful. There could have been massive environmental changes or extinctions.” he continued.
Robot production process
Scientists have begun building robots using fossils of extinct creatures that were able to propel themselves forward using muscular stalks similar to tails. Scientists used CT scans to understand the creature’s shape and computer simulations to explain how it moves. Based on this data, they built soft robots that accurately depict prehistoric creatures that most closely resemble modern-day starfish and sea urchins.
Desatnik points out that these underwater soft robots could be useful in the future, “whether it’s geological surveys or repairing all kinds of machinery underwater.”
Researchers’ approach to using extinct animals to inform soft robot design, dubbed “paleobionics,” could deepen our understanding of evolution and biomechanics.
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