US EditionStudy finds elephant trunk whiskers act like sensory organs, aiding touch and social behaviour
Researchers found elephant trunk whiskers have a unique stiffness gradient that maps touch location, enabling delicate manipulation and inspiring advanced robotic sensors.
- New research in Science on Thursday shows elephant trunk whiskers have a stiffness gradient from stiff bases to soft tips, aiding touch and social behavior.
- Unlike rodent whiskers, scientists expected elephant trunk whiskers to be similar, but elephants have around 1,000 whiskers that do not regrow and compensate for thick skin and poor eyesight.
- Using micro-CT imaging, electron microscopy, and a diamond cube indenter, researchers analyzed a 5-centimeter elephant whisker and built a 3D-printed whisker wand to test stiffness gradients.
- Researchers say this insight could inform tactile sensors in robotics, and the data toolkit released by the research team aims to engage engineers, materials scientists and neuroscientists.
- Elephants use whisker-covered trunk portions for social touch, with whiskers crucial as they do not regrow, while biological functional gradients like in rotator cuff and ACL ligaments inform robotics and repair techniques.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Elephants Have a Secret: Sensitive Whiskers
If you've ever watched an elephant perform a delicate task with its trunk, the secret might lie in something easy to miss: whiskers. New research in Science finds that the hundreds of fine hairs coating an elephant's trunk are among the most advanced sensory whiskers known, turning the trunk into...
Whiskers on Elephant's Trunk Are Key to its Amazing Sense of Touch
The whiskers on an elephant’s trunk are key to its “amazing” sense of touch, reveals new research. The 1,000 hairs that cover the trunk have unusual properties that highlight where contact happens along each whisker allowing the largest land animal to grab something as small as a peanut, say scientists. The whiskers of elephants and […] The post Whiskers on Elephant’s Trunk Are Key to its Amazing Sense of Touch appeared first on Good News Networ…
Elephants Have 1,000 Delicate Whiskers on Their Trunks, and They May Transform Robotics
Learn more about the unique structure of elephant whiskers that allows them to pick up something as fragile as a tortilla chip and not break it. These delicate whiskers could soon inspire advanced robotics.
Study finds elephant trunk whiskers act like sensory organs, aiding touch and social behaviour
When a whisker touches an object, such as a tree branch, that contact bends the whisker and makes it vibrate, which is transmitted to touch-sensing cells called mechanoreceptors located at the whisker's base
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