We should use this amazing mechanism that's inside a grasshopper leg

Summary by Krater

Steve Mould explains mechanical power amplification in animals, such as grasshoppers and trap-jaw ants, using physics principles and physical models to show how elastic energy storage overcomes muscle speed and force limitations.

From the video

Answers: How do grasshoppers jump so high?

• Mechanical power amplification
• Insect jumping mechanisms
• Grasshopper leg anatomy
• Trap-jaw ant catch mechanism
• Elastic potential energy in biology

What it concludes

• Muscle power is limited by the trade-off between force and speed, requiring tools like springs and catapults for high-power output.
• Grasshoppers use a specialized elastic exoskeleton structure in their jumping legs to store energy slowly and release it quickly.
• The extensor muscle in a grasshopper's leg can produce up to 15 Newtons of force, while the flexor muscle produces about 0.7 Newtons.
• Mechanical advantage and the perpendicular angle of the flexor tendon allow the weaker flexor muscle to hold the jumping leg in place against the stronger extensor muscle.
• Trap-jaw ants use a catch mechanism to hold their jaws open, building up energy behind the joint before releasing it rapidly.