Scientist falls head over heels for tumbling spider named in his honour
The newly-identified species is commonly known as the "flic-flac" spider, for its unique ability to flip through the air in a series of mighty somersaults. But it owes its scientific name, Cebrennus rechenbergi, to the man who discovered it in the Moroccan desert, Professor Ingo Rechenberg.To see a video of the spider in action, and the robot modelled on its...
The newly-identified species is commonly known as the "flic-flac" spider, for its unique ability to flip through the air in a series of mighty somersaults. But it owes its scientific name, Cebrennus rechenbergi, to the man who discovered it in the Moroccan desert, Professor Ingo Rechenberg.
To see a video of the spider in action, and the robot modelled on its movements that Professor Rechenberg designed, click on Read More below.
To see a video of the spider in action, and the robot modelled on its movements that Professor Rechenberg designed, click on Read More below.
Watch Cebrennus rechenbergi in action, and see Professor Ingo Rechenberg demonstrate his robot model based on the spider's movements:
The word for spider among the Berber people of the Sahara, explains Dr. Rechenberg, is tabbaha, so he named his robot based on his spider the "tabbot".
Cebrennus rechenbergi takes a break from tumbling. (Photos and video courtesy of Ingo Rechenberg).
"The Mars Rover, driven by six wheels, always got stuck on the loose sand of the Mars desert, and so [the tabbot] may be a good design for a future for a mission to the moon or a mission to Mars," says Dr. Rechenberg. He also believes it might present advantages in agriculture, in that it would cause less damage to ground surfaces.
Dr. Rechenberg poses with his "tabbot", modelled after the Cebrennus rechenbergi -- the tumbling spider named in his honour.
The word for spider among the Berber people of the Sahara, explains Dr. Rechenberg, is tabbaha, so he named his robot based on his spider the "tabbot".
"The Mars Rover, driven by six wheels, always got stuck on the loose sand of the Mars desert, and so [the tabbot] may be a good design for a future for a mission to the moon or a mission to Mars," says Dr. Rechenberg. He also believes it might present advantages in agriculture, in that it would cause less damage to ground surfaces. Dr. Rechenberg poses with his "tabbot", modelled after the Cebrennus rechenbergi -- the tumbling spider named in his honour.