How Archerfish Inspired Precision Liquid-jet Systems

Toxotes jaculatrix · Animal · Brackish and freshwater mangroves of South and Southeast Asia

What if the solution to precision liquid-jet targeting had already been perfected — by a archerfish over 50 million years of evolution?

The Natural Innovation

The archerfish shoots precisely aimed jets of water at insects sitting on vegetation above the water surface, knocking them in for eating. It corrects for refraction at the air-water interface and adjusts jet power based on target distance — all with a brain the size of a pea.

The archerfish lives in Brackish and freshwater mangroves of South and Southeast Asia.

In the language of biomimicry, this falls under the Sense › Correct for optical distortion category.

The Design Principle

Computing the refraction correction for an object seen through an interface — and adjusting output force to compensate for variable-range targets — enables precise fluid-jet targeting without mechanical aiming systems.

Human Applications

Precision liquid-jet systems for micro-manufacturing, targeted drug delivery, and inkjet printing nozzle design. Also inspires refraction-correcting algorithms in underwater imaging systems.

Real-world implementations include: Archerfish-inspired inkjet nozzle research, precision liquid-jet cutting tools.

Source: AskNature.org