Mastering tree canopies: how scaly tails enable safe navigation
Study shows how the scaly tail organ of Pel's flying squirrel enhances static stability during arboreal locomotion across slippery tree surfaces.
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Updates from the Soft Kinetic Group — symposia, panels, and lab milestones. Explore the underlying research and publications.
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Flying Squirrels inspire next-gen bionic robot drones
How the unique scaly-tail morphology of Pel's flying squirrel is inspiring the design of next-generation bionic robot drones.
Read more →Interview in 'Physics Around the Clock' by Michael Banks
Prof. Jusufi was interviewed for 'Physics Around the Clock: Adventures in the Science of Everyday Living' by science journalist Michael Banks, discussing bio-inspired robotics.
Read more →Swiss Federal News: Scaly-tail squirrel research at Empa
Official Swiss Federal news release covering the Soft Kinetic Group's research on how scaly-tail organs enhance stability in arboreal mammals.
Read more →Phys.org: Spikes on the scaly-tailed squirrel's tail aid climbing
Research on how spike-like scales on the scaly-tailed squirrel's tail provide grip and stability during arboreal locomotion.
Read more →Science: These squirrels' scaly tails help them climb slippery trees
Science magazine reports on new findings showing how Pel's scaly-tailed flying squirrels use a unique keeled-scale organ on the tail underside to grip smooth bark.
Read more →Soft Robotics Symposium at PPS38
The group chaired the Soft Robotics Symposium at PPS38, attended by Profs. Rob Shepherd, Yong Lae Park, and Caecilia Laschi.
Read more →The Guardian: Tail does not wag the dog when it comes to agility, scientists find
The Guardian reports on research showing that, contrary to popular belief, the tail plays a limited role in dog agility — challenging assumptions about appendage function in locomotion.
Read more →CNN: The gecko's most astounding maneuver has nothing to do with its sticky feet
CNN covers the Soft Kinetic Group's research on how gliding geckos use active tail reflexes to crash-land head-first into tree trunks — inspiring a new class of soft-bodied robots.
Read more →Science: Watch a gecko smash headfirst into a tree and still stick the landing
Science magazine covers the discovery that gliding geckos stabilise their crash landings using rapid tail reflexes, with implications for soft robot design.
Read more →IDW: Swimming robot gives valuable insights into locomotion of fish
IDW (Informationsdienst Wissenschaft) press release covering a soft swimming robot study that yields insights into the locomotion of fish.
Read more →Nature News: Leaping lizards! Jurassic Park got it right
Nature News reports that Jurassic Park's depiction of dinosaurs using their tails for balance was scientifically accurate — supported by new research on tail-assisted pitch control.
Read more →Robaid: RightingBot — landing ability inspired by lizards
Robotics news site Robaid profiles RightingBot, a bioinspired robot whose mid-air self-righting capability is derived from observations of lizard tail mechanics.
Read more →Science Daily: Falling lizards use tail for mid-air twist, inspiring 'RightingBot'
Science Daily reports on the discovery that lizards use inertial tail rotation to right themselves mid-air during falls, leading to the creation of the bioinspired 'RightingBot'.
Read more →Science Illustrated: Meet RightingBot, the lizard-inspired robot
Science Illustrated profiles RightingBot, demonstrating how biomechanical insights from lizard locomotion are translated into a robot capable of controlled mid-air reorientation.
Read more →Welt der Physik: Langer Hebel für fallende Eidechsen
German physics news outlet covers the research on how lizards use their tails as a long lever to control body rotation during free fall.
Read more →LA Times: The trick that geckos and cockroaches taught a robot
The Los Angeles Times covers research showing how geckos and cockroaches swing under ledges like a pendulum — a manoeuvre now replicated in a robot.
Read more →PLoS ONE: Rapid inversion — running animals and robots swing like a pendulum
Coverage of the PLoS ONE paper by Mongeau, McRea, Jusufi et al. demonstrating rapid inversion locomotion in geckos and cockroaches, with robotic implementation.
Read more →New York Times: It's a Bird. It's a Plane. No, It's a Flying Snake.
The New York Times covers research on how flying snakes generate lift, featured alongside work on other airborne animals that inspire bio-inspired aerial robots.
Read more →MSNBC: Nature inspires flying machines
MSNBC Cosmic Log reports on how natural fliers — from snakes to geckos — are informing the design of the next generation of bio-inspired flying machines.
Read more →New York Times: When a sticky gecko starts to slip, its tail comes to the rescue
The New York Times Observatory column reports on research showing that geckos use active tail movements to regain balance and prevent falls during rapid locomotion.
Read more →New Scientist video: Acrobatic geckos steer with tails
New Scientist video showcasing high-speed footage of geckos using tail rotations to steer and stabilise during arboreal acrobatics — the research that launched the active-tail robotics programme.
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