Title: A Bioinspired Aquatic Machine Mimicking Water Caltrop Show Chinese title

Title: 一种仿生水生机器模仿水蒺藜

Abstract: Plants are increasingly becoming a source of inspiration for robotics and engineers to develop bioinspired, adaptive, and multifunctional machines. In this study, we propose a bioinspired aquatic machine that mimics the fruit of the water caltrop (Trapa natans L.). Among various plant species, T. natans produces unique woody fruits that can disperse passively via water currents or by clinging to boats or waterfowls. Inspired by the structures and dispersal mechanisms of T. natans, we designed miniaturized biomimetic machines capable of passive dispersion in aquatic ecosystems. In order to study our selected biological model, we collected natural fresh and dried mature samples of T. natans fruits. We designed biomimetic aquatic machines by extracting the main geometrical details from the natural samples, and by exploiting advanced three-dimensional reconstruction techniques, including x-ray micro-computed topography (Micro-CT). Then, we successfully fabricate the biomimetic machines at high-resolution in two configurations (hollow body and solid body) using light-based bioprinting of photo-responsive hydrogels. We also characterized the mechanical properties of the bioprinted materials through compression tests. Finally, we evaluated the floating behavior of the biomimetic machines in a flow chamber as a proof of concept. This biomimetic approach enhances the adaptability of the machine in aquatic environments, offering new design insights for underwater, soft, and microrobotics. Show Chinese abstract

Abstract: 植物正日益成为机器人技术和工程师开发生物启发、适应性和多功能机器的灵感来源。 在本研究中，我们提出了一种仿生水下机器，模仿菱角（Trapa natans L.）的果实。 在各种植物种类中，T. natans 产生独特的木质果实，可以通过水流被动传播或附着在船只或水禽上。 受 T. natans 结构和传播机制的启发，我们设计了微型仿生机器，能够在水生生态系统中实现被动传播。 为了研究我们选择的生物模型，我们收集了 T. natans 果实的天然新鲜和干燥成熟样本。 我们通过从天然样本中提取主要几何细节，并利用先进的三维重建技术，包括 X 射线显微计算机断层扫描（Micro-CT），设计了仿生水下机器。 然后，我们成功地使用光响应水凝胶的基于光的生物打印技术，在两种配置（空心体和实心体）中以高分辨率制造了仿生机器。 我们还通过压缩测试表征了生物打印材料的机械性能。 最后，我们在流动腔中评估了仿生机器的漂浮行为，作为概念验证。 这种仿生方法增强了机器在水生环境中的适应性，为水下、柔软和微机器人提供了新的设计见解。