Macroscopic and microscopic mechanical behaviors of climbing tendrils

Guo, Qiaoyu; Dong, Jiwu; Liu, Y.; Xu, Xianghong; Qin, Qi; Wang, J. S.

doi:10.1007/s10409-019-00849-y

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The results suggested that cellulose fibrils play a key role in the chirality transfer of tendrils from the subcellular to macroscale level, thus affecting the mechanical properties and architecture of tendrils, which were controlled by hydraulic forces. In addition, L. cylindrica tendrils show a rubber-like behaviour (due to the hyper-elasticity of cellulose fibril helix) which provides large elongation and flexibility for climbing on given supports [70].…”

Section: Methodologies and Benchmarks For Morphological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Taking inspiration from climbing plants: methodologies and benchmarks—a review

et al. 2020

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One of the major challenges in robotics and engineering is to develop efficient technological solutions that are able to cope with complex environments and unpredictable constraints. Taking inspiration from natural organisms is a well-known approach to tackling these issues. Climbing plants are an important, yet innovative, source of inspiration due to their ability to adapt to diverse habitats, and can be used as a model for developing robots and smart devices for exploration and monitoring, as well as for search and rescue operations. This review reports the main methodologies and approaches used by scientists to investigate and extract the features of climbing plants that are relevant to the artificial world in terms of adaptation, movement, and behaviour, and it summarizes the current available climbing plant-inspired engineering solutions.

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Section: Methodologies and Benchmarks For Morphological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several works have focused on measuring Young's modulus (e.g. E bending is the more appropriate value to compare different stem's properties) of a climbing plant's stem and tendrils, at various development stages [46,53,70].…”

Section: In Vivo Attachment Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taking inspiration from climbing plants: methodologies and benchmarks—a review

et al. 2020

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“…Many biological structures can be modeled as tubular assemblies of helical rods, such as the tail sheaths of bacteriophage viruses [1,2], the cellulose filaments in the tendrils of climbing plants [3], the bundles of microtubules and motors in all eukaryotic flagella and cilia [4,5], the envelopes of shapeshifting unicellular organisms such as Lacrymaria Olor [6] and the pellicle of euglenids, a family of unicellular algae [7][8][9][10] (see Fig. 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanics of tubular helical assemblies: ensemble response to axial compression and extension

2021

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Nature and technology often adopt structures that can be described as tubular helical assemblies. However, the role and mechanisms of these structures remain elusive. In this paper, we study the mechanical response under compression and extension of a tubular assembly composed of 8 helical Kirchhoff rods, arranged in pairs with opposite chirality and connected by pin joints, both analytically and numerically. We first focus on compression and find that, whereas a single helical rod would buckle, the rods of the assembly deform coherently as stable helical shapes wound around a common axis. Moreover, we investigate the response of the assembly under different boundary conditions, highlighting the emergence of a central region where rods remain circular helices. Secondly, we study the effects of different hypotheses on the elastic properties of rods, i.e., stress-free rods when straight versus when circular helices, Kirchhoff’s rod model versus Sadowsky’s ribbon model. Summing up, our findings highlight the key role of mutual interactions in generating a stable ensemble response that preserves the helical shape of the individual rods, as well as some interesting features, and they shed some light on the reasons why helical shapes in tubular assemblies are so common and persistent in nature and technology. Graphic Abstract We study the mechanical response under compression/extension of an assembly composed of 8 helical rods, pin-jointed and arranged in pairs with opposite chirality. In compression we find that, whereas a single rod buckles (a), the rods of the assembly deform as stable helical shapes (b). We investigate the effect of different boundary conditions and elastic properties on the mechanical response, and find that the deformed geometries exhibit a common central region where rods remain circular helices. Our findings highlight the key role of mutual interactions in the ensemble response and shed some light on the reasons why tubular helical assemblies are so common and persistent.

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“…4 This concept could inform the development of adaptive robotic appendages that mimic these natural tendrils, providing robots with the ability to grip and interact with their surroundings more effectively. 4,5 The purpose of climbing adaptation in weak stemmed plants is towards better capture of sunlight as well as for pollination and seed dispersal. Botanically climbing plants can be classified as (i) Root climbers (ii) Stem climbers (iii) Tendril climbers (iv) Hook climbers (v) Scramblers and (vi) Lianas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultrastructural studies on tendrils of plant climbers reveals a hierarchical tissue organization: A microscopic investigation

2024

JIST

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Tendrils are natural morphological designs that function as climbing adaptations adopted by weakstemmed plants to attach over strong-stemmed supporting hosts or different artificial support systems. Tendrils are frequently either a modified stem, axillary bud or a modified leaf. Tendril recognises its ideal support hosts with its coiled spring onto which it finally attaches. Robotic engineers often quest for upgraded structures that can sense and grip. The present study focuses on comprehending the underlying structural features naturally present in plant tendrils. The study highlights three different types of plant tendrils. Evaluation of plant tendril morphometry is done by various highperformance structural analytical tools, notably Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy and Fluorescence Microscopy. The ultrastructural features revealed the unique architectural design of cellulose fibrils and tissue-level organization in the anatomy, which enables the mechanical function of the tendrils. Additionally, the study supports that there are six different hierarchical chirality length scales. To improve and redesign machines, notably in robotics; to endow them with sensory perception, an analysis of the microscopic cellular structure of tendrils may be beneficial. The study also emphasizes that an extraordinary design with clear hierarchical patterns is required rather than replicating the shape.

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Macroscopic and microscopic mechanical behaviors of climbing tendrils

Cited by 10 publications

References 27 publications

Taking inspiration from climbing plants: methodologies and benchmarks—a review

Taking inspiration from climbing plants: methodologies and benchmarks—a review

Mechanics of tubular helical assemblies: ensemble response to axial compression and extension

Ultrastructural studies on tendrils of plant climbers reveals a hierarchical tissue organization: A microscopic investigation

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