The hard frame and flexible body of the boxfish could serve as a biological blueprint for body armor, robots and flexible electronics in the future according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego.
Why the boxfish? Three reasons: survival, structural design and connectivity. The boxfish has survived for 35 million years with this scale-like armor, so its design has a proven track record to withstand time and attack.
Because of the shape of its scales (a raised hexagon) and how they’re connected, it has both hard and soft layers which create a protective shield. The boxfish’s scales are connected by sutures (interlocking collagen fibers) which make the armor even stronger. On impact, the sutures’ zigzag patterns lock into place and keep the scales from breaking apart. These sutures on the boxfish are different from others found in nature, but are similar to the connections in an infant’s skull. As an infant grows, the pieces that comprise the skull grow and fuse together.

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