{"id":74178,"date":"2025-08-17T03:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T03:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/74178\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T03:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T03:36:12","slug":"how-octopuses-crawl-new-study-shows-detailed-cephalopod-movements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/74178\/","title":{"rendered":"How Octopuses Crawl: New Study Shows Detailed Cephalopod Movements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Traditional 3D imaging requires multiple cameras, but EyeRIS captures all the visual data in a single shot, a crucial advantage for working in deep, remote, and dynamic underwater environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time, we can get really detailed measurements of fine-scale movements of an animal body,\u201d Huffard said. \u201cThe data that we\u2019ve collected gives us information like the entire surface of the animal \u2014 how does the animal\u2019s whole body move and change and deform?\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most intriguing findings was how the octopuses use their arms when crawling across the sea floor, creating \u201chinge\u201d points \u2014 fixed locations along the arm that act like temporary joints during movement. \u201cThey\u2019re not moving that hinge point or that contact point all along the arm,\u201d Katija said. \u201cIn fact, it\u2019s really just happening at a constrained location.\u201d<\/p>\n

By concentrating strain and bend around these fixed points, the octopuses make it easier to control their limbs. \u201cThis allows them to have simple, but sophisticated, control of their arms,\u201d Huffard said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Developed by researchers in MBARI\u2019s Bioinspiration Lab, the EyeRIS camera system (right) enables near real-time three-dimensional imaging and visualization in a compact payload that can be deployed to depths of 4,000 meters (13,100 feet). (Courtesy of Joost Daniels\/MBARI \u00a9 2021)<\/p>\n

Engineers have looked to octopuses when designing what they call \u201csoft-bodied\u201d robots, which can slink and squirm into confined spaces inaccessible to humans or even more rigid robots.<\/p>\n

They have been used in search and rescue operations, manufacturing and even space exploration.<\/p>\n

And this study improves our understanding of how octopuses move, and could help reimagine robotics for these and other areas.<\/p>\n

\"\"MBARI\u2019s innovative EyeRIS camera system collects near real-time three-dimensional visual data about the structure and biomechanics of marine life. Filming deep-sea pearl octopus (Muusoctopus robustus) with this system has provided new insight into octopus locomotion that can contribute to the design of bioinspired robots in the future. (Courtesy of MBARI \u00a9 2022 )<\/p>\n

In the medical field, for example, soft-bodied robots are used for noninvasive surgery, prosthetics and more.<\/p>\n

Beyond its engineering applications, Katija emphasized that EyeRIS offers a new, noninvasive way to study marine life. Rated for use down to more than 13,000 feet, it can be deployed on remotely operated vehicles to study animals from the sea surface to the deep seafloor.<\/p>\n

She also stressed the importance of studying these species in their natural, and often vulnerable, habitats. \u201cWe\u2019re studying animals in environments that are really threatened thanks to human activities,\u201d she said. \u201cReally understanding these animals in their natural environment is incredibly important before these systems change, and in some cases, irreparably.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Traditional 3D imaging requires multiple cameras, but EyeRIS captures all the visual data in a single shot, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,63,128,338],"class_list":{"0":"post-74178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}