This Tiny Robot Mimics the Mantis Shrimp's Mighty Punch

The mantis shrimp boasts one of the most powerful and ultrafast punches in nature--it's on par with the force generated by a .22-caliber This makes the creature an attractive object of study for scientists eager to learn more about the relevant biomechanics. Among other uses, it could lead to small robots capable of equally fast, powerful movements. Now, a team of Harvard University researchers has come up with a new biomechanical model for the mantis shrimp's mighty appendage, and it built a tiny robot to mimic that movement, according to a recent paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This story originally appeared on Ars Technica, a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, reviews, and more. Ars is owned by WIRED's parent company, Condé Nast.