Three elements in the design of the insects' wings allow flexible adaptation Previous studies, however, apply complicated and costly approaches which make them difficult to be used in everyday life applications. If both capabilities could be combined, structural elements with "variable stiffness" could be developed which function more efficiently by changing their deformability in response to the change in their external environment. Technical structures often fulfill only one of the two properties: either they can withstand large loads-such as stable load-bearing components in buildings-or they are durable and flexible that yield in the event of external impacts such as a collision so as not to break. In the long term, these design strategies could lead to the development of structural elements that are load-bearing, durable and impact resistant at the same time and allow various applications in the fields of robotics, aviation or biomedicine. In an article in the current issue of the journal Advanced Science, they show several special features in the wing structure, thanks to which they are both stable and flexible and can thus adapt to different needs. Scientists from the Zoological Institute at Kiel University (CAU) are investigating how insect wings withstand these different demands without breaking. At the same time, they withstand aerodynamic loads effortlessly-yet the fragile structures make up just two percent of the total mass of an insect's body. Credit: Stanislav GorbĪbout once a second wings of foraging bees collide with small obstacles such as flowers, leaves or branches during flight without suffering major long-term damage. About once a second wings of foraging insects collide with small obstacles such as flowers, leaves or branches during flight without suffering major long-term damage.
0 kommentar(er)
