Elephant trunks form joints to squeeze together small objects
Elephant trunks form joints to squeeze together small objects
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DOI：
10.1098/rsif.2018.0377
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发表时间：
2018-10-01
影响因子：
3.9
通讯作者：
Hu, David L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Wu, Jianing;Zhao, Yichao;Hu, David L.
野生非洲象是贪婪的食客，每分钟消耗180克食物。他们以这种速度进食的方法之一是把食物扫成一堆，然后捡起来。在这项实验和理论相结合的研究中，我们阐明了大象用鼻子压住一堆食物的独特方法。为了抓取最小的食物，大象在鼻子上形成一个关节，形成一个高达11厘米的柱子，用来向下推食物。使用力传感器，我们展示了大象对较小的食物块施加更大的力，根据魏布利安的统计数据，这是将颗粒固化为块状固体所必需的方式。大象用所需的力增加了柱子的高度，仅用柱子的自重就能达到所施加的力的28%。这项研究表明，大象能够利用它们从液体到固体的转变来调节它们施加在颗粒材料上的力。未来，重型机器人机械手还可能形成关节，一起压缩和抬起物体。
Wild African elephants are voracious eaters, consuming 180 g of food per minute. One of their methods for eating at this speed is to sweep food into a pile and then pick it up. In this combined experimental and theoretical study, we elucidate the elephant's unique method of picking up a pile of food by compressing it with its trunk. To grab the smallest food items, the elephant forms a joint in its trunk, creating a pillar up to 11 cm tall that it uses to push down on food. Using a force sensor, we show the elephant applies greater force to smaller food pieces, in a manner that is required to solidify the particles into a lump solid, as calculated by Weibullian statistics. Elephants increase the height of the pillar with the force required, achieving up to 28% of the applied force using the self-weight of the pillar alone. This work shows that elephants are capable of modulating the force they apply to granular materials, taking advantage of their transition from fluid to solid. In the future, heavy robotic manipulators may also form joints to compress and lift objects together.