The balancing properties of the gömböc are associated with the "righting response", their ability to turn back when placed upside down, of shelled animals such as turtles and beetles. This may happen in a fight or predator attack and is crucial for their survival. The presence of only one stable and unstable point in a gömböc means that it would return to one equilibrium position no matter how it is pushed or turned around. Whereas relatively flat animals (such as beetles) heavily rely on momentum and thrust developed by moving their limbs and wings, the limbs of many dome-shaped turtles are too short to be of use in righting themselves.
Domokos and Várkonyi spent a year measuring turtles in the Budapest Zoo, Hungarian Museum of Natural History and various pet shops in Budapest, digitizing and analyzing their shells, and attempting to "explain" their body shapes and functions from their geometry work. Their first biology paper was rejected 5 times, but finally accepted by the biology journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. It was then immediately popularized in several science news reports, including those of the most prestigious science journals Nature[3] and Science.[4][13] The reported model can be summarized as flat shells in turtles are advantageous for swimming and digging. However, the sharp shell edges hinder the rolling. Those turtles usually have long legs and neck and actively use them to push the ground, in order to return to the normal position if placed upside down. On the contrary, more "round" turtles easily roll on their own; those have shorter limbs and use them little when recovering lost balance. (Some limb movement would always be needed because of imperfect shell shape, ground conditions, etc.) Round shells also resist better the crushing jaws of a predator and are better for thermal regulation.
Domokos and Várkonyi spent a year measuring turtles in the Budapest Zoo, Hungarian Museum of Natural History and various pet shops in Budapest, digitizing and analyzing their shells, and attempting to "explain" their body shapes and functions from their geometry work. Their first biology paper was rejected 5 times, but finally accepted by the biology journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. It was then immediately popularized in several science news reports, including those of the most prestigious science journals Nature[3] and Science.[4][13] The reported model can be summarized as flat shells in turtles are advantageous for swimming and digging. However, the sharp shell edges hinder the rolling. Those turtles usually have long legs and neck and actively use them to push the ground, in order to return to the normal position if placed upside down. On the contrary, more "round" turtles easily roll on their own; those have shorter limbs and use them little when recovering lost balance. (Some limb movement would always be needed because of imperfect shell shape, ground conditions, etc.) Round shells also resist better the crushing jaws of a predator and are better for thermal regulation.
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gömböc
Turtles are similar to gombocs, as they are able to retain a stable point of equilibrium after being placed upside-down (unstable point of equilibrium). They each only have one stable and one unstable point of equilibrium, therefore they are always able to return to one equilibrium position no matter how it is pushed or turned around. The explanation of turtle body shape, using the gomboc theory, has already been accepted by some biologists.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gömböc
Turtles are similar to gombocs, as they are able to retain a stable point of equilibrium after being placed upside-down (unstable point of equilibrium). They each only have one stable and one unstable point of equilibrium, therefore they are always able to return to one equilibrium position no matter how it is pushed or turned around. The explanation of turtle body shape, using the gomboc theory, has already been accepted by some biologists.