Ka-Pow Shrimp! : Unlocking Secrets Of Mantis Shrimp's Powerful Claws
June 1, 2016 3:10 PM Subscribe
Mantis shrimp pack a famously big punch. The same engineering that keeps their hammer-like claws intact could shape a new generation of human body armor. "We knew from previous studies that the impact region allows the mantis shrimp to transfer incredible momentum to its prey while resisting fracture," co-author Nicholas Yaraghi, a doctoral candidate at UC Riverside, says in a press release, "but it was exciting to reveal through our research that the properties of this highly impact-resistant material are created by the novel herringbone structure."
Epony...aw, forget it.
True Facts About the Mantis Shrimp.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:54 PM on June 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
True Facts About the Mantis Shrimp.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:54 PM on June 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
mantis shrimp armor! cockroach artillery! we're all gonna die in some pretty nifty ways in the futurewar apocalypse!
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:59 PM on June 1, 2016
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:59 PM on June 1, 2016
Nice eponymous post. I imagine one day our soldiers will look like one of the "prawns" from District 9.
posted by My Dad at 4:01 PM on June 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by My Dad at 4:01 PM on June 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
herringbone structure
Should make for an elegant bespoke suit.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:45 PM on June 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Should make for an elegant bespoke suit.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:45 PM on June 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Since it seems OK to comment on stomatopods and not the helmet, here's an American Scientist article on extreme speed in nature.
They get the speed, as you might imagine, by ratcheting in a lot of energy"slowly" like coiling a spring, and then releasing it all at once. Perhaps less obviously, this approach really makes sense only against slow-moving prey: since it takes a relatively long to coil and trigger the sudden movement you only get one shot and actually don't want to hit something that can dodge. Just amazing species, and that's not even talking about their freaky eyesight.
posted by mark k at 8:13 PM on June 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
They get the speed, as you might imagine, by ratcheting in a lot of energy"slowly" like coiling a spring, and then releasing it all at once. Perhaps less obviously, this approach really makes sense only against slow-moving prey: since it takes a relatively long to coil and trigger the sudden movement you only get one shot and actually don't want to hit something that can dodge. Just amazing species, and that's not even talking about their freaky eyesight.
posted by mark k at 8:13 PM on June 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
A shrimp wearing herringbone before Labor Day? How gauche.
posted by Splunge at 7:40 AM on June 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Splunge at 7:40 AM on June 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by amanda at 3:43 PM on June 1, 2016 [1 favorite]