{"id":22078,"date":"2022-12-21T17:47:33","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T16:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=133935"},"modified":"2022-12-21T18:35:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T17:35:18","slug":"snow-tyres-inspired-by-polar-bear-paws-could-provide-better-grip","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/snow-tyres-inspired-by-polar-bear-paws-could-provide-better-grip\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow tyres inspired by polar bear paws could provide better grip"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jason Goodyer\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 21 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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As anyone who has driven in snow or ice will know, fitting the correct set of snow tyres can make the difference between travelling in a straight line and skidding all over the road.<\/p>\n

But how can we improve on the designs that are currently available? One potential option is to turn to nature for inspiration, a practice known as biomimicry.<\/p>\n

Thinking along these lines, an interdisciplinary group of researchers based at the University of Akron in Ohio took a deep dive into the anatomy of polar bear paws<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an ongoing project for many years focused on ice; we were looking at the friction of materials and we were interested in this topic because we are in Akron and our national partners need to develop tyres with a strong grip on the road in ice and snow conditions,\u201d said Prof Ali Dhinojwala<\/a>, of the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering.<\/p>\n

The team wanted to investigate the effect papillae, tiny bumpy structures found on paw pads, had on polar bears\u2019 ability to move quickly and effortlessly across icy and snow terrain.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9Getty Images<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

To do this, they gathered samples of polar bear paw pads along with paw pads of two American species closely related to the polar bear, the brown bear and American black bear, and one distantly related Asian species, the sun bear.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quietness of the lab during COVID gave me the opportunity to connect with a variety of scientists and environmentalists across the country,\u201d said Dr Nathaniel Orndorf, a former PhD student now working as a material scientist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reached out to museums, taxidermists and many others to collect and view actual samples and replicas of bear paw pads.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team then imaged the samples using a scanning electron microscope, 3D-printed replicas and tested them in snow in the lab.<\/p>\n

They found that the papillae on the polar bears\u2019 pads gave them better traction on the snow even though they have smaller pads compared to other bears.<\/p>\n

The team now want to investigate other factors that may have an effect such as the patterning and profile.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at snow tires you will see that they do have some deeper treads, but this research could also show various ways to design them that could have a larger impact,\u201d said Dhinojwala.<\/p>\n

Read more about animals:<\/strong><\/p>\n