Plesiosaur flippers inspire a steering mechanism for swimming robotic vehicle
Date:
November 20, 2017
Source:
American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics
Summary:
Plesiosaurs, who thrived during the early to middle Jurassic Period, used four paddlelike flippers of nearly equal size and musculature to swim. Despite the seemingly subpar engineering, the fossil record reveals that plesiosaurs were widespread and prolific. This inspired a team to explore how swimming with four flippers might be advantageous compared to two.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120090049.htm
