Life Sciences Commons^™

Linkage Mechanics And Power Amplification Of The Mantis Shrimp's Strike, Sheila Patek, B. N. Nowroozi, J. E. Baio, R. L. Caldwell, A. P. Summers

Sheila Patek

Mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) generate extremely rapid and forceful predatory strikes through a suite of structural modifications of their raptorial appendages. Here we examine the key morphological and kinematic components of the raptorial strike that amplify the power output of the underlying muscle contractions. Morphological analyses of joint mechanics are integrated with CT scans of mineralization patterns and kinematic analyses toward the goal of understanding the mechanical basis of linkage dynamics and strike performance. We test whether a four-bar linkage mechanism amplifies rotation in this system and find that the rotational amplification is approximately two times the input rotation, thereby amplifying …