Snails can move in any direction: horizontally, vertically and even upside down. Snails can move on different surfaces such as: sand, trees, pavements, roads and even glass. One of the reasons for this is the sticky substance found on their belly, which serves as a strong lubricant that reduces friction during movement.
Natural organisms and engineering systems have evolved and been optimized to perform various tasks under constraints. An organism developed as a result of the constraints of nature, while engineering systems developed as a result of the limitations of physics and intuition. Research on snails and clams that is taking place at MIT in the USA proves to us once again that various natural mechanisms are more efficient and sometimes even more elegant than engineering solutions.
Snails can move in any direction: horizontally, vertically and even upside down. Snails can move on different surfaces such as: sand, trees, pavements, roads and even glass. One of the reasons for this is the sticky substance found on their belly, which serves as a strong lubricant that reduces friction during movement.
By imitating the biological structures and implementing their principles in robotic systems, the researchers developed the snail robot, or the RoboSnail, a robot with the ability to climb and stick to vertical walls, as well as the ability to crawl upside down on ceilings, similar to the source of its inspiration - the snail. These capabilities can be used in medical and other applications.
Another organism studied in the same laboratory is the oyster, which has an impressive ability to dig burrows. An oyster can dig a hole for itself 70 (!) cm deep in the sand. The clam robot, the RoboClam, which was developed inspired by this ability, enables digging at a lower energy cost than the energy needed in the technologies that exist today.
The researchers found that while digging, the oyster moves up and down while opening and closing the shell, as if vibrating, and thus it consistently pushes sand aside. This action allows for quick movement in the sand. A similar mechanism was implemented in the oyster robot - a sequence of vibrations allows changing the texture of the seabed, softening and easier digging in.
Inspired by the oyster, robotic digging systems can be used as light and cheap automatic tools, which integrate with robotic submarines, and even auxiliary tools for oil drilling and other underwater excavations.
Engineers all over the world study insects, fish, turtles and different species, in order to get inspiration from them to develop more efficient, smaller and more dedicated robots. Imitating an organism can help optimize processes in various applications, while reducing the energy burden.
In imitating biological systems it is very important not only to imitate the structure and configuration, but mainly to understand the biology of the mechanism being studied, in order to imitate the most significant features. A deep understanding of the biological movement mechanisms will contribute new and exciting tools to the mechanical engineers on their way to develop the robots of the future.
