Elephant Trunk Whiskers Provide Material Intelligence
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You may not be able to tell from afar, but get up close with an elephant’s trunk and you’ll see it’s actually covered in about 1,000 whiskers. It's yet another marvel of evolution.
Researchers have discovered that the hairs on elephants' trunks are responsible for their extraordinary sense of touch. Though small compared to the rest of their bodies, these hairs play a significant role in helping these giants feel and sense the world around them, says a new study. An elephant's trunk is essential for most aspects of the animal's life, from interacting with its environment and with other elephants to eating and drinking.
The research team at the Department of Haptic Intelligence at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems was joined by researchers from the fields of neuroscience and materials science. They used micro-CT scans to create 3D-printed models and found that the blade-like whiskers are soft and flexible at the tip but become progressively thicker and more rigid toward the base. This structural “gradient” appears to be key to trunk sensitivity. The whiskers help elephants detect the precise location where the trunk meets an object - an adaptation that compensates for their poor eyesight and enables them to lift items as small as peanuts and as delicate as berries.
“Each whisker acts as a tactile sensory organ, extending their reach,” lead study author Andrew Schulz told Reuters. “They constantly feel their way through their surroundings with their trunks, searching for food and exchanging social touch.”
Beyond contributing to a better understanding of elephants, these insights could eventually inspire robotic sensors with similar flexible-to-rigid gradients for improved precision and sense of touch.
