Bioinspiration

Animals have evolved all manner of adaptations to get the nutrients they need. For nectar-feeding bats, long snouts and tongues let them dip in and out of flowers while hovering in mid-air. To help the cause, their tongues are covered in tiny hairs that serve as miniature spoons to scoop and drag up the tasty sap.

Hairy tongues help bats drink up

New model predicts how hairs on a bat’s tongue draw up nectar.

February 7, 2018

Engineers at MIT have developed a new model to simulate dynamic soaring, and have used it to identify the optimal flight pattern that an albatross should take in order to harvest the most wind and energy. They found that as an albatross banks or turns, it should do so in shallow arcs, keeping almost to a straight, forward trajectory.

Engineers identify key to albatross’ marathon flight

Flying in shallow arcs helps birds stay aloft with less effort.

October 10, 2017

Dubbed “Primer,” a new cube-shaped robot can be controlled via magnets to make it walk, roll, sail, and glide. It carries out these actions by wearing different exoskeletons, which start out as sheets of plastic that fold into specific shapes when heated. After Primer finishes its task, it can shed its “skin” by immersing itself in water, which dissolves the exoskeleton.

“Superhero” robot wears different outfits for different tasks

Shape-shifting device from CSAIL can walk, roll, sail, and glide using recyclable exoskeletons.

September 27, 2017

Engineers at MIT can predict how beds of tiny, soft hair, such as those that line surfaces inside the human body, will bend in response to fluid flow.

Our hairy insides

Engineers predict how flowing fluid will bend tiny hairs that line blood vessels and intestines.

August 21, 2017

Researchers at MIT have explored the secrets behind the conch shell’s extraordinary impact resilience. The findings are reported in a new study by MIT graduate student Grace Gu (right), postdoc Mahdi Takaffoli (left), and McAfee Professor of Engineering Markus Buehler.

Conch shells spill the secret to their toughness

Three-tiered structure of these impact-resistant shells could inspire better helmets, body armor.

May 26, 2017

The Nereis virens worm inspired new research out of the MIT Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics. Its jaw is made of soft organic material, but is as strong as harder materials such as human dentin.

Worm-inspired material strengthens, changes shape in response to its environment

A bio-inspired gel material developed at MIT could help engineers control movements of soft robots.

March 20, 2017

Jessica Rosenkrantz collaborated with New Balance to develop a customized, 3-D-printed midsole.

Printing data-driven wearables that mimic nature

MIT lecturer Jessica Rosenkrantz writes programs mimicking processes in nature to "grow" objects that can be digitally fabricated.

March 2, 2017

This image shows the fabrication steps from raw circular filament to a fully functional bending artificial muscle. The bottom filament is a raw circular filament. Researchers press the filament using a rolling mill (the second sample from the bottom). Next, they add a mask in the middle of the surface (the third sample from the bottom). Then, they add the conductive ink (the second sample from the...

Nylon fibers made to flex like muscles

MIT engineers find a simple and inexpensive new approach to creating bending artificial muscle fibers.

November 23, 2016

“We are particularly interested in wetsuits for surfing, where the athlete moves frequently between air and water environments,” says Anette (Peko) Hosoi, a professor of mechanical engineering and associate head of the department at MIT. “We can control the length, spacing, and arrangement of hairs, which allows us to design textures to match certain dive speeds and maximize the wetsuit's dr...

Beaver-inspired wetsuits in the works

Rubbery hair-lined wetsuits may help keep surfers warm.

October 5, 2016

These fluorescent gels were synthesized by mixing a polymer (polyethylene glycol) and a ligand (terpyridine) with two lanthanides — europium and terbium — in varying ratios.

The promise of fluorescent polymer gels

Color-changing materials could be used to detect structural failure in energy-related equipment.

July 1, 2016

“If we can replace cement, partially or totally, with some other materials that may be readily and amply available in nature, we can meet our objectives for sustainability,” MIT Professor Oral Buyukozturk says.

Finding a new formula for concrete

Researchers look to bones and shells as blueprints for stronger, more durable concrete.

May 25, 2016

Close-up image of part of the shell of a chiton (Acanthopleura granulata) shows the two kinds of sensory organs that cover the shell surface. The eyes are the dark bumps with shiny centers. The exact function of other sensory organs called aesthetes (small bumps with black centers) is not yet known.

Armor plating with built-in transparent ceramic eyes

Tiny sea creatures feature transparent optical systems as tough as their shells.

November 19, 2015

Left to right, Michael Tarkanian stands with Alexandra Sourakov and Ahmed Al-Obeidi

Biomimetic non-reflective coating for solar cells wins MADMEC

Team wins $10,000 at annual competition for invention inspired by butterfly wings.

September 29, 2015

Scientists at MIT and Harvard University have identified two optical structures within the blue-rayed limpet’s shell that give its blue-striped appearance.

A mollusk of a different stripe

Optical features embedded in marine shells may help develop responsive, transparent displays.

February 26, 2015

Images show textures (top) and fluorescent light (bottom) produced by the new synthetic elastomer material that can mimic some of the camouflage abilities of octopuses and other cephalopods.

How to hide like an octopus

Researchers create materials that reproduce cephalopods’ ability to quickly change colors and textures.

September 16, 2014

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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