The starfish skeleton has inspired a new flexible yet resilient morphing structure with promising applications in robotics, aviation, and medical technology. This research is being presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague, as reported by Tech Explore. Raman Raman, a PhD student in the Biological Structures and Biomimicry working group at the Hochschule Bremen in Germany, explains that starfish have the remarkable ability to effortlessly maintain any body posture by varying the stiffness of their endoskeleton. Ossicles, microstructures of calcite found inside the body of starfish, are networked by collagen fibers to form the endoskeleton, allowing them to adopt a wide variety of body postures with minimal energy use.
The interdisciplinary approach used by Raman and his team involved high-resolution X-ray CT scans to visualize the skeletal structures of sea stars. They used mathematical models, such as finite element analysis and multibody simulations, to understand the complex mechanics of the skeletal components. By unlocking the secrets of the starfish skeleton, the team was able to translate the principles into a new material with remarkable properties. They used 3D printing to produce functional prototypes with self-locking, continuous bending, self-healing, and shape memory characteristics.
The patented starfish-inspired structure offers scalability, low cost, and relative ease of fabrication, providing opportunities for industrial applications in robotics, aviation, and biomedical devices like prosthetics and implants. On a different note, several titles are provided with content revolving around playing poker online on various platforms. These platforms are discussed in terms of their benefits and strategies for winning in online poker games. Overall, the content covers a range of topics from scientific research inspired by nature to online gaming strategies.