To find out how much force Mantis Shrimp’s Dactyl Club can withstand, researchers tested live shrimp by hitting piezoelectric sensors to crush the shell. They also fired ultrasound and high-sonic lasers with fragments of dactil clubs from the specimen so that they could see how the club was protected against the sound waves.
By tracking how sound waves propagate on the surface of the dactil club, researchers were able to determine which regions of the club spread the most waves. The second layer, the impact surface, was the treatment of the highest level of stress. The periodic surface was almost equally effective. Together, they created a dactyl club with little immunity to the stress they produce.
There are few other examples where you can compare the protective structure of mantis shrimp. On the side of prey, we know evidence that some moth wing scales absorb sound waves from predatory bats and prevent them from discovering them to find them.
Understanding how mantis shrimp protects themselves from extreme forces can inspire new technologies. The structure of the dactil club may affect the design of military and athletic protective equipment in the future.
“The shrimp impact includes frequencies in the ultrasonic range, leading to a shrimp-inspired solution, pointing to ultrasonic filtering as the key. [protective] Mechanism, Team I said In the same study.
Perhaps one day the new bike helmet model was inspired by creatures that are less than 7 inches long, but are literally under pressure.
Science, 2025. Doi: 10.1126/science.adq7100
