seeinnovation: The sandfish lizard (Scincus scincus) spends the majority of its life in desert sand, coming to the surface only to forage. It encounters different densities and types of sand in its habitat, which affect not only how it moves, but how quickly it can move. Researchers used high-speed X-ray imaging and developed empirical granular-drag laws to understand how sandfish lizards “swim” in sand. The work could apply to robots that must crawl, burrow and swim in unconsolidated material like desert sand or rubble at a disaster site. Photo: Daniel Goldman, Georgia Institute of Technology
28th Jan 2012✧16:17341 notes
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Opaque  by  andbamnan