Saito Kazuya, Yamamoto Shuhei, Maruyama Munetoshi, Okabe Yoji
Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan;
Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan; and.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Nov 18;111(46):16349-52. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1409468111. Epub 2014 Nov 3.
Foldable wings of insects are the ultimate deployable structures and have attracted the interest of aerospace engineering scientists as well as entomologists. Rove beetles are known to fold their wings in the most sophisticated ways that have right-left asymmetric patterns. However, the specific folding process and the reason for this asymmetry remain unclear. This study reveals how these asymmetric patterns emerge as a result of the folding process of rove beetles. A high-speed camera was used to reveal the details of the wing-folding movement. The results show that these characteristic asymmetrical patterns emerge as a result of simultaneous folding of overlapped wings. The revealed folding mechanisms can achieve not only highly compact wing storage but also immediate deployment. In addition, the right and left crease patterns are interchangeable, and thus each wing internalizes two crease patterns and can be folded in two different ways. This two-way folding gives freedom of choice for the folding direction to a rove beetle. The use of asymmetric patterns and the capability of two-way folding are unique features not found in artificial structures. These features have great potential to extend the design possibilities for all deployable structures, from space structures to articles of daily use.
昆虫的可折叠翅膀是终极的可展开结构，吸引了航空航天工程科学家以及昆虫学家的关注。众所周知，隐翅虫以最复杂的方式折叠翅膀，呈现出左右不对称的模式。然而，具体的折叠过程以及这种不对称的原因仍不清楚。这项研究揭示了这些不对称模式是如何在隐翅虫的折叠过程中出现的。使用高速摄像机来揭示翅膀折叠运动的细节。结果表明，这些独特的不对称模式是重叠翅膀同时折叠的结果。所揭示的折叠机制不仅能实现高度紧凑的翅膀收纳，还能实现即时展开。此外，左右折痕模式是可互换的，因此每只翅膀都包含两种折痕模式，并且可以以两种不同的方式折叠。这种双向折叠为隐翅虫提供了折叠方向的选择自由。不对称模式的使用和双向折叠的能力是人造结构中所没有的独特特征。这些特征对于扩展所有可展开结构的设计可能性具有巨大潜力，从空间结构到日常用品皆是如此。
