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Facts about the diabolical armored beetle.
PARIS – Looking forged in apocalyptic fires, the diabolical armored beetle has a formidable reputation for being able to withstand being stabbed or run over by a car.
Now scientists have found a puzzle-like mechanism in their exoskeletons that helps the tiny creature tolerate forces of up to 39,000 times its own body weight.
Their discovery could have implications for engineering and robotics, experts say, and even challenge the position of cockroaches as models of insect indestructibility.
The beetle, which no longer has the ability of its ancestors to fly away from predators, has developed crush-resistant exoskeletal forewings, called elytra, as a form of protection, according to the new study published in the journal Nature.
The beetle, which is about two centimeters (just under an inch) long, is an oak-dwelling fungivore that resides primarily on the western coast of North America.
Despite its fierce name, it tends to hide or play dead when attacked, aided by its rugged and craggy textured black body that gives it the appearance of a small rock.
“Beyond feigning death, this beetle has a remarkable ability to withstand crushing and penetrating blows from predators, and even the occasional automobile,” the study said.
He said they are so tough that entomologists often bend the steel pins they use when trying to mount the beetles in display cases.
Scientists from the United States and Japan looked at the structure of the beetle’s elytra, which allow it to resist forces of up to 149 newtons, approximately 39,000 times its body weight.
They found that it was significantly more than other similar beetles could tolerate.
– ‘Compressible robots’ –
Using advanced imaging techniques, the researchers saw that the beetle has a series of interlocking puzzle-like joints in its elytra and found that the shape of these leaves and their laminated microstructure acted to stiffen the exoskeleton.
They concluded that the strong but flexible structure allows the beetles to hide under rocks or contort in tight spaces in tree bark for shelter, supporting extra weight without damaging their internal organs.
The researchers then used 3D printing and simulations to investigate whether this geometric structure could be used as a mechanical fastener to join different materials, such as plastics and metal, similar to that required in turbines in the aerospace industry.
The study found that these diabolical armored beetle-inspired designs provided greater strength and significantly higher toughness compared to a commonly used engineering gasket.
Po-Yu Chen, from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, said that the weight the insect could bear was about 10 times greater than the bite forces generated by potential predators.
“Cockroaches have a similar ability to change shape, which has inspired the design of a compressible robot that can squeeze and move within tight spaces. Such robots could be used to search for survivors in collapsed buildings after disasters,” he said in a comment in Nature.
Po-Yu Chen, who was unrelated to the research, said more research is needed on the structure’s potential engineering uses, but said the diabolical armored beetle “could now inspire new designs for compressible robots or armored vehicles.” .
“And the authors’ work shows that the capabilities of insects should never be underestimated,” he added.
