3D Printed Robotic ‘Elephant Trunk’ is Guided by Machine Learning
Taking their inspiration from nature, researchers have designed a low-cost robotic arm that mimics the strength and flexibility of an elephant’s trunk.
Image Credit: Villiers Steyn/Shutterstock.com
In terms of design, the elephant's trunk is one of evolution’s foremost triumphs. The appendage — an extension of the animal’s nose and its upper lip — is both strong and flexible with a level of dexterity that is unmatched, even by our own arms.
In fact, containing an immense 40,000 muscles, an elephant’s trunk contains considerably more muscles than a human’s entire body.