Photo credit: arstechnica.com
A recently developed robot inspired by manta rays exhibits remarkable capabilities, including the ability to dive and resurface. By flapping its appendages quickly, it generates strong downward waves, propelling itself upward, while a slower flapping motion creates less forceful upward currents that allow it to descend more effectively. Notably, this robotic design has demonstrated its capacity to retrieve payloads from the bottom of a tank and bring them back to the surface.
Innovations in Filtration Inspired by Nature
Researchers at MIT have sought inspiration from manta rays and similar species, such as mobula rays, to advance the design of industrial water filtration systems. Manta rays function as immense moving filters, and their unique feeding mechanism offers insights into enhancing filter efficiency.
As manta rays swim, they filter food by keeping their mouths open. They possess specialized structures at the sides of their mouths called mouthplates, which resemble air conditioner vents. As water flows into the mouth, larger plankton particles that cannot pass through the mouthplates are directed toward the manta’s body cavity and subsequently into its stomach. Simultaneously, water flows out through the gills, allowing the ray to absorb oxygen.
The researchers focused on mobula rays due to their effective balance in filtering water swiftly while retaining essential plankton within their bodies. To mimic this natural design, the MIT team used 3D printing technology to create plates that formed narrow openings, allowing water to flow through while capturing larger particles that were redirected into a separate waste reservoir.
Testing revealed that when the water was pumped slowly, both water and smaller particles were expelled from the filter. However, increasing the pump speed created a vortex within the openings, enabling water to pass while retaining particles. This mechanism parallels the efficient feeding strategy employed by mobula rays, which skillfully adjust their swimming speed to optimize oxygen intake while maximizing plankton capture.
The researchers propose that incorporating vortex dynamics could transform traditional industrial filtration models, as detailed in a recent study published in PNAS. This innovative approach showcases how nature’s designs can inspire advanced technological applications.
While manta rays may appear otherworldly, their utilization of physical principles for efficient movement and simultaneous feeding and breathing exemplifies nature’s ingenious solutions. These biological insights may very well lead to significant advancements in engineering and technology.
Science Advances, 2024. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq4222
PNAS, 2024. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.241001812
Source
arstechnica.com