Armadillos inspire new protective technology for soft machines
Armadillos inspire new protective technology for soft machines
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129620
Publish Date: 2026-05-27 14:14:00
Source Domain: www.eurekalert.org
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Researchers have drawn inspiration from armadillos to create a protective structure that responds to external threats by curling into a protective ball to protect electronic devices or other payloads. The structure is designed to automatically respond when it detects strain and can be tuned to respond to anything from a delicate touch to a significant impact.
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Credit: Jianyu Zhou, NC State University
Researchers have drawn inspiration from armadillos to create a protective structure that responds to external threats by curling into a protective ball to protect electronic devices or other payloads. The structure is designed to automatically respond when it detects strain and can be tuned to respond to anything from a delicate touch to a significant impact.
“There has been a great deal of growth in the fields of soft robotics and flexible electronics, but those devices are often also fragile,” says Yong Zhu, corresponding author of a paper on the work and the Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. “Our goal was to develop a solution that allows these fragile technologies to function but protects them when necessary.”
“In its relaxed state, the structure we’ve developed is fairly flexible, but it can be activated to curve into a rigid external structure,” says Jianyu Zhou, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at NC State. “We could see this technology being used to protect many types of objects –…
