About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
Symposium
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Mechanics and Physiological Adaptation of Hard and Soft Biomaterials and Biological Tissues
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Presentation Title |
Sustainable innovation – learning from nature’s grippers and stingers |
Author(s) |
Eduard Arzt, Marc A. Meyers |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Eduard Arzt |
Abstract Scope |
Evolution has evolved fascinating resource-efficient and sustainable materials architectures to ensure survival. Inspired by nature, micropatterning of polymeric materials has become a powerful paradigm for controlling adhesion or for optimizing penetrative objects. For adhesion, fundamental studies have demonstrated the benefit of microfibrillar architectures over non-structured contacts, inspiring innovative pick-and-place systems. But several problems remain: how do we release micro-objects with negligible mass? And how can we ensure reliability of gripping, also in demanding conditions such as in space? We have proposed a machine-learning based optical monitoring system that images the individual fibrillar contacts in operando and predicts successful handling with high accuracy, indicating, even for incomplete or off-center gripping. Similar microstructures have been engineered into delicate adhesives for skin and body organs. Further examples of bioinspiration for optimized stinger ‘design’ in nature will be presented. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
Keywords |
Biomaterials, Sustainability, Mechanical Properties |