Surface contact and design of fibrillar ‘friction pads’ in stick insects (<i>Carausius morosus</i>): mechanisms for large friction coefficients and negligible adhesion

Labonte, David; Williams, John A.; Federle, Walter

doi:10.1098/rsif.2014.0034

Cited by 46 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 78 publications

(137 reference statements)

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“…In some species, a fifth euplantula is found on the distal tarsomere as well (Vallotto et al, 2016). In contrast to the arolium, the euplantulae generate large friction coefficients, when they are pressed onto the substrate due to shear forces, but create negligible adhesion (Busshardt et al, 2011(Busshardt et al, , 2012Labonte and Federle, 2013;Labonte et al, 2014). Attachment in insects is achieved in general by adaption to the surface profile in order to maximize the actual contact area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Tarsal Adhesive Microstructures in Stick and Leaf Insects (Phasmatodea)

et al. 2018

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Insects have developed specialized structures on their feet for adhering to surfaces, with stick and leaf insects or Phasmatodea exhibiting an unexpectedly high diversity of these structures. In Phasmatodea, attachment on different substrates is achieved by two types of pads on the legs: the euplantulae on the tarsomeres and the arolium on the pretarsus. The euplantulae are adhesive structures capable of adaptability to the substrate profile and generation of the required attachment strength. The diversity of euplantular microstructures of 56 species that represent all major lineages recognized within Phasmatodea and the whole biogeographical distribution of the group are examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nine different types of attachment structures can be distinguished whereby one, the nubby type, can be further divided into three different distinct types based on the specific ratio of each conical outgrowth. We mapped the morphological data from the SEM onto a phylogenetic tree we reconstructed based on molecular data. Previously, the evolution of different adhesive microstructures (AMs) on these pads has been suggested to reflect phylogenetic groups. However, different types of AMs are found within monophyletic groups, and our ancestral character state reconstruction suggests smooth euplantulae in the ground pattern of Euphasmatodea and multiple independent origins of other forms. The type of AM appears to be strongly associated with ecomorphs, e.g., smooth euplantular surfaces are more frequently found in tree-dwellers than in ground-dwellers, whilst the attachment pads of ground-dwelling species primarily bear conical cuticular outgrowths (nubby euplantulae).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Tarsal Adhesive Microstructures in Stick and Leaf Insects (Phasmatodea)

et al. 2018

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“…Biological studies reveal that the attachment devices they use are one of the key features supporting these achievements12345. These attachment devices can provide optimal friction for forward motion, protect animals from slipping on a surface, and even allow them grip surfaces firmly.…”

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confidence: 99%

Enhanced Locomotion Efficiency of a Bio-inspired Walking Robot using Contact Surfaces with Frictional Anisotropy

Manoonpong

Petersen

Kovalev

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Based on the principles of morphological computation, we propose a novel approach that exploits the interaction between a passive anisotropic scale-like material (e.g., shark skin) and a non-smooth substrate to enhance locomotion efficiency of a robot walking on inclines. Real robot experiments show that passive tribologically-enhanced surfaces of the robot belly or foot allow the robot to grip on specific surfaces and move effectively with reduced energy consumption. Supplementing the robot experiments, we investigated tribological properties of the shark skin as well as its mechanical stability. It shows high frictional anisotropy due to an array of sloped denticles. The orientation of the denticles to the underlying collagenous material also strongly influences their mechanical interlocking with the substrate. This study not only opens up a new way of achieving energy-efficient legged robot locomotion but also provides a better understanding of the functionalities and mechanical properties of anisotropic surfaces. That understanding will assist developing new types of material for other real-world applications.

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“…The functional requirements for tarsal pads specialized for jumping are similar to those for tarsal ‘friction pads’ of non-jumping insects [30]: (i) pads should be able to deform sufficiently under load to increase contact area; (ii) when unloaded, adhesion should be minimal to allow rapid and easy detachment; (iii) pads should not buckle even when large pushing forces are acting. However, jumping pads may have to cope with even faster detachments and higher buckling forces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jumping without slipping: leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) possess special tarsal structures for jumping from smooth surfaces

Clemente

Goetzke

Bullock

et al. 2017

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Many hemipteran bugs can jump explosively from plant substrates, which can be very smooth. We therefore analysed the jumping performance of froghoppers (Philaenus spumarius, Aphrophoridae) and leafhoppers (Aphrodes bicinctus/makarovi, Cicadellidae) taking off from smooth (glass) and rough (sandpaper, 30 µm asperity size) surfaces. On glass, the propulsive hind legs of Philaenus froghoppers slipped, resulting in uncontrolled jumps with a fast forward spin, a steeper angle and only a quarter of the velocity compared with jumps from rough surfaces. By contrast, Aphrodes leafhoppers took off without their propulsive hind legs slipping, and reached low take-off angles and high velocities on both substrates. This difference in jumping ability from smooth surfaces can be explained not only by the lower acceleration of the long-legged leafhoppers, but also by the presence of 2–9 soft pad-like structures (platellae) on their hind tarsi, which are absent in froghoppers. High-speed videos of jumping showed that platellae contact the surface briefly (approx. 3 ms) during the acceleration phase. Friction force measurements on individual hind tarsi on glass revealed that at low sliding speeds, both pushing and pulling forces were small, and insufficient to explain the recorded jumps. Only when the tarsi were pushed with higher velocities did the contact area of the platellae increase markedly, and high friction forces were produced, consistent with the observed jumps. Our findings show that leafhoppers have special adhesive footpads for jumping from smooth surfaces, which achieve firm grip and rapid control of attachment/detachment by combining anisotropic friction with velocity dependence.

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Surface contact and design of fibrillar ‘friction pads’ in stick insects (Carausius morosus): mechanisms for large friction coefficients and negligible adhesion

Cited by 46 publications

References 78 publications

The Evolution of Tarsal Adhesive Microstructures in Stick and Leaf Insects (Phasmatodea)

The Evolution of Tarsal Adhesive Microstructures in Stick and Leaf Insects (Phasmatodea)

Enhanced Locomotion Efficiency of a Bio-inspired Walking Robot using Contact Surfaces with Frictional Anisotropy

Jumping without slipping: leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) possess special tarsal structures for jumping from smooth surfaces

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