The principles of cascading power limits in small, fast biological and engineered systems
Abstract
In biological and engineered systems, an inherent trade-off exists between the force and velocity that can be delivered by a muscle, spring, or combination of the two. However, one can amplify the maximum throwing power of an arm by storing the energy in a bow or sling shot with a latch mechanism for sudden release. Ilton et al. used modeling to explore the performance of motor-driven versus spring-latch systems in engineering and biology across size scales. They found a range of general principles that are common to animals, plants, fungi, and machines that use elastic structures to maximize kinetic energy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 27, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.aao1082
Entities
People
- Alfred J Crosby
- Chi-Yun Kuo
- Deepak Krishnamurthy
- Emanuel Azizi
- Gregory P Sutton
- Je-Sung Koh
- Leah L Fitchett
- M. Saad Bhamla
- Manu Prakash
- Mark Ilton
- Robert J Wood
- Sarah Bergbreiter
- Sheila Patek
- Suzanne M Cox
- Xiaotian Ma
- Yongjin Kim
- Zeynep Temel
Organizations
- Duke University
- Harvard University
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
- National Science Foundation
- Office of the Royal Society
- Stanford University
- United States Army
- University of Bristol
- University of California, Irvine
- University of Maryland
- University of Massachusetts Amherst