Spider textile ... information technology

Manh Hung

On the screen, a tiny spider appeared in the dark, slid across a thread and hung in the air. One by one, the spider made a beautiful " geometric work ". " This spider is about to weave another net!" , the scientist said.

From studying vibration phenomenon .

Born in Pondichery (India) and went to the United States in 1992 with a scholarship from Harvard University, Sharad Ramanathan started working on the study of spiders for three years in a famous research and telecommunications development cluster. "Bell Labs " is located in the state of New Jersey, where the transistor and solid laser (solid laser) were invented. Indeed, this was a surprising project, because the young expert had raised a herd of spiders, watched them flutter and was always excited about the pets: " Even if I don't see the road, but only in 3 minute spider can weave a 50cm wide net, 100 times bigger than its body ". After saying that, he took out the pen and drew 5 straight lines, forming a star shape, then a spiral cut the star into equal spaces. Finally, the scientist opened a short film from the laptop: "They are completely threaded in the dark so we have to shoot with an infrared camera".

But the purpose of Sharad Ramanathan is very specific. He was especially interested in how spiders know how to save energy when minimizing movement. Indeed, in order to get a " drawing " for your net, foot spiders shake the strands and follow the path accordingly. And after a " spot " of a junction between the two lines, the spider will determine the next direction in space. They weave very well, very scientifically.

. To reduce information congestion solution

It was the spider's talent that helped the scientist get the idea. Sharad Ramanathan explains: "In order for this to happen, spiders must determine the tension of the net. And I think we can fully apply the spider's approach to optimizing the flow of information transmitted on the network. We Reproduced the tension in the spot by creating turbulence around a point, in order to search for ways to escape, those that turned wide and wide. "

According to the diagram illustrating the simulated system for transmitting information on wireless telecommunications networks, each of these points corresponds to a network node, a server. And when there are many " congested " points, the network will be quickly congested. The scientist argues: " There will be a blockage if all data is transmitted in the same direction, even though this is the shortest path. Therefore, we have rebuilt the algorithm according to the structure. With this model, we reduced data transfer time from 128.3 milliseconds to 48.6 milliseconds, congestion disappeared, and the number of network nodes decreased from 32 down to 28 ".

The experiment yielded positive results. But for further research, the science team needs a lot of spiders! It was quite funny when Sharad Ramanathan said: "It is not easy! I called a professor at New York University to ask him to help some spiders. He said that I just went to the forest. I have to call them, there is nothing serious about calling them, then I have a biologist at Harvard to show me how to keep the spiders from dying . Now I know that spiders need moisture to live and need darkness to spread silk If there is light, they will be disoriented, but it's funny that I was afraid of spiders! " .

Sense of spider

Spiders have very poor vision even though there can be up to 8 eyes! But in return, they are equipped with thousands of "hi-tech" signal catchers, which are the hairs on the legs and the lower abdomen. Thus, spiders have the ability to "hear" very weak vibrations that people cannot feel. Regarding nutrition, after " fixing " the prey with its silk net, the spider will " liquefy " the dish to " drink ".

Almost all spiders are spitting silk. Experts believe that silk hydration is used by cocoons to weave cocoons to protect eggs. Many spiders can make nests underground or underwater. Some species also use silk as a hunting weapon (not a spider web), or as a guide tool.

Parameters of spider silk

In terms of shape, structure and function, spider web is considered a masterpiece of creation. It is estimated that a spider must spend an average of 1 hour and 30 meters of silk to get a complete net. For a long time, spider silk is very attractive to scientists, industrialists and the military, because it is a material that holds a record of strong adhesion, ie energy absorption, among all material form created by nature. Spider silk is also rated " harder " than metal.

So scientists studied using spider silk to weave bulletproof vests that could block a weight of 300kg flying at 300km / hr! But the production of this " silk shirt " is not easy. It may be necessary to " requisition " a community of spiders in Guyana named Anelosimus eximius . They are only about 5mm in size but can weave giant nets (compared to them) with a diameter of several meters, because many individuals cooperate together. And these "caliber" nets have helped Anelosimus eximius spider trap their prey more than 700 times more!