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Unique structure of elephant whiskers give them built-in sensing "intelligence"
Elephant trunk whiskers have a stiffness gradient enabling precise touch, aiding delicate tasks like picking up peanuts, with insights from German researchers published in Science.
- Published Thursday in Science, the study reported elephant trunk whiskers have stiffer bases and softer tips, giving them innate `material intelligence` for delicate manipulation.
- Because elephants have rough, armorlike skin, researchers from Max Planck Institute, Humboldt University, and University of Stuttgart expected trunk whiskers to mimic rodent vibrissae but found they differed structurally.
- Using micro-CT scanning and custom small-object CT, researchers produced 3D renderings and performed imaging tests, then 3D-printed a whisker wand and applied computational modeling for analysis.
- Researchers suggested potential robotic tactile sensors and biomedical repair analogies, released a research data toolkit, and warned elephant trunk whiskers do not regrow, raising conservation concerns.
- Elephants are born with about 1,000 trunk bristles, blade-like with hollow bases that aid shock absorption, and O'Connell-Rodwell said `There's some really interesting, intriguing thoughts for the next steps, for what one could ask in terms of the behavioral application of this`.
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26 Articles
26 Articles
Short-sighted giants with thick skin – how elephants still gently pick up peanuts or chips? The secret lies in their trunk hair. A study reveals why this is so.
·Düsseldorf, Germany
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Short-sighted giants with thick skin - how elephants still gently pick up peanuts or chips? The secret lies in their trunk hair. A study reveals why this is so.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources26
Leaning Left3Leaning Right4Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution37% Center, 36% Right
Bias Distribution
- 37% of the sources are Center, 36% of the sources lean Right
37% Center
L 27%
C 37%
R 36%
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