The skeleton of a starfish has inspired a new flexible yet durable transformation structure with promising applications in robotics, aerospace and medical technology.
This research is presented at the annual conference of the Society for Experimental Biology in Prague, reports Tech Explore.
“Sea stars have a remarkable ability to maintain themselves effortlessly in any body position by adjusting the stiffness of their endoskeleton,” says Raman Raman, PhD student in the Biological Structures and Biomimetics working group at Hochschule Bremen in Germany.
The ossicles are calcite microstructures found inside the starfish’s body and are networked by collagen fibers to form the endoskeleton. This strong but simple design allows them to adopt a wide range of postures with minimal energy consumption.
“We were fascinated by this biological solution to a complex engineering problem,” Raman continues. “Our goal was to unlock the secrets of its complex skeleton and translate these principles into a new material with equally remarkable properties.”
Raman and his team used a multidisciplinary approach for this project. Using high-resolution X-ray CT scans, they visualized the starfish’s skeletal structures and used mathematical models (finite element analysis and multi-body simulation) to understand the complex interconnected mechanics of the skeletal components.
“For the first time, we can show the complex three-dimensional structure of the starfish skeleton and the fine ultrastructure of small bones,” says Raman. “We have now applied this knowledge to the biomimetic design process of our own changing structure, incorporating rapid prototyping techniques to manufacture it.”
Raman and his team used 3D printing to produce various functional prototypes who can overcome an impressive array of physical challenges. “Our patented starfish-inspired structure features self-locking, continuous bending, self-healing and shape memory functionality,” says Raman.
The scalability, low cost, and relative ease of fabrication of this transformable structure provides many opportunities for industrial applications, including robotics, aerospace, and biomedical devices such as prosthetics and implants.
