Rice is best known as one of the world's most important food crops, but scientists have now shown it could also help inspire a new generation of smart materials.
Researchers discovered that packed rice grains behave in an unusual way under pressure. When compressed slowly, the grains remain relatively strong. But when squeezed quickly, they actually become weaker. This surprising behavior has allowed scientists to create a new material that could one day be used in soft robots that automatically adjust their stiffness and protective equipment that responds differently depending on the force of an impact.
The international research team, led by the University of Birmingham, reported its findings in the journal Matter.
Rice's Unusual Response to Pressure
Experiments showed that tightly packed rice grains respond very differently depending on how quickly a load is applied. At higher loading speeds, the material weakens significantly.
