Beneath the ocean are sea urchins that possess the remarkable ability to instantly detect water flow. A recent discovery made by Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation), Dean of Graduate School, Kuok Group Professor in Nature-Inspired Engineering and Chair Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), in collaboration with scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), has unveiled the mechanoelectrical perception in long-spined sea urchin (Diadema setosum) and its underling science. Even more impressively, the researchers engineered artificial mechanoreceptors that mimic the structure of sea urchin spines and their mechanoelectrical sensing capability. This pioneering work titled “Echinoderm stereom gradient structures enable mechanoelectrical perception” has been published in the international journal Nature.
The research team found that, when a seawater droplet strikes the tip of a spine, the spine rotates rapidly within a second. This response originates from the stereom structure of the spine—the porous internal skeleton composed of pores with varying sizes and distributions. These pores exhibit a gradual gradient: larger pores and lower solid density at the base, and smaller pores and higher solid density at the tip, forming a bicontinuous gradient porous structure. This gradient structure intensifies the interaction between water flow and pore surfaces, resulting in a stronger voltage difference and enhancing the spine’s sensing capabilities.
Inspired by these findings, the researchers used vat photopolymerisation 3D printing to create artificial samples from polymer and ceramic materials that resemble the spine’s stereom. Experiments demonstrated that the key to the mechanoelectrical perception lies in the structure rather than the material. They also constructed a bionic 3D metamaterial mechanoreceptor that is designed in a 3 × 3 array with each unit made of gradient porous material. This mechanoreceptor can record electrical signals in real time underwater and precisely locate the position of water flow impact, without the need for additional electricity.
The research team points out that the gradient porous structure in sea urchin spines enhances signal transmission, thereby improving the precision and sensitivity of the mechanoreceptor. By replicating this structure in different materials, it is possible to extend its application beyond water flow sensing to various types of signals, including those measuring pressure, vibration and electromagnetic waves. This will inspire sensing technologies in multiple fields, such as in relation to its use in brain-computer interfaces to enhance the sensing of brainwaves and neural signals, with tremendous application potential.
Read the full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10164-9
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