3 ms·
> There is a reason biology tugs on ropes and lets reaction surfaces slide around instead. And that reason is that it's very difficult to have a rolling joint
by hwillis 4y ago
> There is a reason biology tugs on ropes and lets reaction surfaces slide around instead.
And that reason is that it's very difficult to have a rolling joint or muscle because you can't get blood into it. It's largely fundamentally inaccessible to an organism that must grow itself. There are massive advantages that are unexplored by evolution.
Even further, gears are inherently asymmetric, meaning they are even harder to evolve. Nevertheless nature DOES use gears[1] when it can.
> You can shape the surfaces the way you want for the movement you need.
You can actually do the same with gears and screws: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=100is1XpXcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=100is1XpXcE
[1]: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-insect-has-the-only-mechanical-gears-ever-found-in-nature-6480908/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-insect-ha...
- taneq 4y agoIsn't that the only known instance of meshing gears in nature? Agreed that there are plenty of geometries that would be very hard to evolve but are very useful. Wheels are another example.