Microscopic morphology of the antennule and antenna of the marine isopod Cirolana harfordi

ABSTRACT

The use of scanning electron microscopy on the cuticle outgrowths called setae (that contain sensilla) in crustaceans is useful for, understanding how crustacean species sense their environment and for taxonomic studies. So far, most of the setal morphology studies have been performed on decapod crustaceans such as lobsters and shrimps and there has been a comparative lack of such research on marine isopods, from which terrestrial isopods such as woodlice or slaters have evolved. In the current study, electron microscopy was used to study the antennal setae of the marine isopod Cirolana harfordi using magnification powers of up to 40, 000. C. harfordi displayed a number of setal types including setae that had a sub-terminal pore that contained a cupule-shaped structure and plumose setae which are pennate in structure and have two rows of setules along the setal shaft in a fashion analogous to a palm leaf. These plumose setae may be useful to the animal in detecting water currents. Differences in the structure and placement of setae on the antennae of C. harfordi as compared to two other marine isopods, Bathynomus pelor and Natatolana borealis (that have had a comprehensive study of antennae setal morphology performed on them in previous studies) indicate that scanning electron microscopy of isopod setae may be useful in taxonomic studies of isopods.     

Fabrication and adhesion of hierarchical micro-seta

Spark-erosion perforating technology was used to fabricate a Cu-based template characterized by pores with radius of 0.5 mm inclined at 75°. A commercial silicone elastomer of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) with a rich Si-H content was used to produce an inclined array of primary setae. The technique of argon ion plasma etching on crystalline silicon was used to fabricate negative templates with radii of 5, 10, and 20 μm. The Si-H rich PDMS was used to cast three types of fine array templates, which acted as the secondary setae. A vinyl-rich PDMS precursor was used to bind the primary and secondary setae by a hydrosilylation reaction, thus allowing the formation of three different hierarchical arrangements of setae. Adhesion tests demonstrated that shear adhesion was anisotropic, first increasing in strength then decreasing to a stable level as slippage occurred. The adhesion strength was significantly influenced by the nature of the secondary setae, showing a strong correlation with aspect-ratio and concentration.     

机器人足仿生柔性减振设计与试验研究*

基于大壁虎脚趾倾斜刚毛结构和猫头鹰覆羽/表皮微孔结构,设计了两种黏弹性履带。一种具有倾斜柱状阵列结构,另一种同时具有倾斜柱状与微孔复合阵列结构。利用刚柔混合有限元分析,计算了这两种黏附带安装在轮足式机器人柔性足脱附后能量衰减情况,以及柔性足关节反力变化,并与普通黏附带进行了比较。通过实验对计算结果进行了验证。结果表明:具有倾斜柱状结构的黏附带可以降低脱附力至普通黏附带的80%,并在一定程度上减小了脱附时黏附带能量集聚,加速了脱附后能量耗散,衰减时间约为普通带的72%;具有倾斜柱状与微孔复合结构的黏附带在降低脱附力,减小能量集聚的同时,进一步增强了减振效果。其衰减时间约为普通黏附带的30%。