The March 2011 issue of Journal of Experimental Biology finally puts the great debate to rest: fleas jump by using their feet and not their knees. While that may not be a subject you are lying awake at night worrying about, the researchers' use of high definition, slow motion macro video to study the fleas' movements is an example of how observing nature helps us build better machines.

Studying The Very Small

Scientists and engineers interested in the world of creatures as small as fleas have had few tools to aid them in the past. Tiny creatures could be studied with magnifying glasses or microscopes, but it was difficult to study them in motion since the depth of field was often very small. Researchers had to make a lot of educated guesses about how tiny animals functioned, leading to such debates as the feet vs. knees one mentioned above.

The development of high performance digital cameras has given new tools to those who study the world of the small. Powerful lenses, high resolution imaging and software enhancement have contributed to the art of macro video, the task of taking movies of very small objects. Scientists can study amazing creatures in their natural habitats, and get insights into their behavior and abilities.

Marveling At Mother Nature

One reason researchers are so fascinated by tiny animals is their amazing feats of prowess. Fleas jump over a hundred times their body length, equivalent to a person jumping two football fields. Ants lift dozens of times their body weight, which is like one of us carrying a semi truck. Bumblebees fly on wings far too small to support their mass.

Just how is any of this possible? Often it's because these animals work differently than we big creatures do. Fleas, for example, supplement their tiny muscles with a springy protein called resilin that stores the energy they use for jumping. We study these creatures and are amazed at just how clever and innovative nature is.

Building Better Technology

So what does this have to do with better robots? Nature has always been an inspiration for technology. Studying macro video of these everyday superheroes makes us realize the limitations of our technology. They inspire us to explore new ways to do things, and to find new solutions to problems. Biology has often inspired engineering.

These jumping fleas may help us develop a robot that could jump across crevices or rubble to provide emergency medical treatment after an earthquake. Researchers have already developed prototype night vision systems based on flies, and improved flying and walking robots by making them move like insects instead of humans.

Macro video offers new insight into the amazing capabilities of creatures all around us. These movies remind us of the wonders of the natural world, and help us design new technologies to make that world better.