{"675131":{"#nid":"675131","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"Mimicking an Elephant Trunk","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EElephants use their trunks for various tasks by exploiting a remarkable range of motions. A research team has now shown that much of this dexterity can be achieved using just a small number of muscle-like actuators. Using both theoretical calculations and experiments with a simple physical model of a trunk, the researchers found that their minimal model can reproduce the complex bending and torsional motions seen in real trunks. The results might be useful in the design of \u201csoft robotics\u201d devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hu.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDavid Hu\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.biosci.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and the School of Mechanical Engineering, calls the work \u201ca triumph of mathematics and an important step in reverse engineering the elephant trunk.\u201d He says that the important result is in \u201creducing the biological complexity to three degrees of freedom.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHu adds that \u201cthe big question left in my mind is this: If elephants can achieve all these 3D trunk positions with just three actuators, why does it have to have so many other muscles, and when are those used?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EElephants use their trunks for various tasks by exploiting a remarkable range of motions. A research team has now shown that much of this dexterity can be achieved using just a small number of muscle-like actuators. Using both theoretical calculations and experiments with a simple physical model of a trunk, the researchers found that their minimal model can reproduce the complex bending and torsional motions seen in real trunks. The results might be useful in the design of \u201csoft robotics\u201d devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hu.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDavid Hu\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.biosci.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and the School of Mechanical Engineering, calls the work \u201ca triumph of mathematics and an important step in reverse engineering the elephant trunk.\u201d He says that the important result is in \u201creducing the biological complexity to three degrees of freedom.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHu adds that \u201cthe big question left in my mind is this: If elephants can achieve all these 3D trunk positions with just three actuators, why does it have to have so many other muscles, and when are those used?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"36583","created_gmt":"2024-06-17 21:57:41","changed_gmt":"2024-06-18 13:10:04","author":"lvidal7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","publication":"Physics Magazine","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"https:\/\/physics.aps.org\/articles\/v17\/98","dateline":{"date":"2024-06-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-06-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"179490","name":"elephant trunk"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}