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In this paper, we show how this gripping can be improved in one application (the endoscopic needle holder) by understanding and imitating the design principles that evolution has selected to make the mandibles of an ant a powerful natural gripping device. State-of-the-art kinematic, morphological, and engineering approaches show that the ant, in contrast to other insects, has considerable movement within the articulation and the jaw\u00b4s rotational axis. We derived three major evolutionary design principles from the ant\u2019s biting apparatus: 1) a mobile joint axis, 2) a tilted orientation of the mandibular axis, and 3) force transmission of the adductor muscle to the tip of the mandible. Application of these three principles to a commercially available endoscopic needle holder resulted in calculated force amplification up to 296% and an experimentally measured one up to 433%. This reduced the amount of translations and rotations of the needle, compared to the needle\u2019s original design, while retaining its size or outer shape. This study serves as just one example showing how bioengineers might find elegant solutions to their design problems by closely observing the natural world.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2201598121","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,12]],"date-time":"2024-02-12T15:05:39Z","timestamp":1707750339000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.cm10313","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Understanding the ant\u2019s unique biting system can improve surgical needle holders"],"prefix":"10.1073","volume":"121","author":[{"given":"Benjamin","family":"Wipfler","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Morphology Laboratory, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of the Biodiversity Change, 53113 Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9755-7849","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ole","family":"Hoepfner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Surgery, Theodor Fontane Medical School, University Hospital Brandenburg an der Havel, 14770 Brandenburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5924-0189","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Felix","family":"Viebahn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lehrstuhl f\u00fcr Konstruktionslehre und CAD, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany"},{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, ZF Group, 97424 Schweinfurt, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6628-1816","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tom","family":"Weihmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Physiology, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Frank","family":"Rieg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lehrstuhl f\u00fcr Konstruktionslehre und CAD, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0906-3281","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carsten","family":"Engelmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Surgery, Theodor Fontane Medical School, University Hospital Brandenburg an der Havel, 14770 Brandenburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"341","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1006\/jhev.1999.0304"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cirp.2014.05.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rcim.2017.05.007"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00464-018-6079-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s13019-016-0497-9"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TBME.2013.2293815"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eururo.2008.07.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1115\/1.4044526"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_9_2","first-page":"1727","article-title":"Effects of tip geometry of surgical needles: An assessment of force and deflection","volume":"11","author":"Podder T.","year":"2005","unstructured":"T. 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