National Science Foundation: Science Behind the News: Bio Inspired Materials

The peacock mantis shrimp, which is actually a crustacean and not a shrimp, fascinates scientists due to the power of its small club appendage. It can hit with a force of 200 pounds although this animal is only four inches long. Scientists are studying the structure of this club to see if they can duplicate the material for use as body armor. This type of science is called biomimetics. [4:13]