Mechanics of the Venus flytrap's fast motion and Bio-mimetic flytrap-robots
Zi Chen (Washington University), Qiaohang Guo (), Huang Zheng (), Stephen Xie (), Wei Li (), Guiping Su (), Junjie Lin (), Yuxin Liu (), Yiting Ding (), Wenzhe Chen (), Larry Taber ()
Soft Materials and Structures
Tue 9:00 - 10:30
Barus-Holley 158
The rapid motion of plants has intrigued researchers for centuries. Plants do not have any nerves or muscles, yet Dionaea (the Venus flytrap) can snap through in less than a fraction of a second to capture insects. Darwin did the first systematic investigation on this phenomenon, and considered Dionaea as “one of the most wonderful in the world". Researchers have since proposed several mechanisms, but with no unanimous agreement achieved. Here we study the mechanics of the rapid motion of the Venus flytrap, and propose a mechanical bistable mechanism that explains the rapid closure of the Venus flytrap in a relatively comprehensive manner. Bio-mimetic flytrap robots have also been designed according to the principles learnt from the plant. It is thus promising to design smart bio-mimetic materials and devices with snapping mechanisms as sensors, actuators, artificial muscles and biomedical devices.