How to imitate natural spring-loaded snapping movement without losing energy

(University of Massachusetts Amherst) Venus flytraps do it, trap-jaw ants do it, and now materials scientists at UMass Amherst can do it, too - they discovered a way of efficiently converting elastic energy in a spring to kinetic energy for high-acceleration, extreme velocity movements as nature does it. First author Xudong Liang and senior researcher Alfred Crosby have discovered at least one mechanism that works.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news