Lobster-shell patterns make concrete stronger.

Reuters reveals a new technique to strengthen ordinary concrete by imitating the criss-cross pattern of lobster shells:

Reinforced with steel fibres, the concrete becomes more durable when set in a pattern that copies a lobster shell, according to a new study from Melbourne’s RMIT University.

Rather than use a mould, the process involves depositing layers of concrete one on top of the other, directed from a computer program using 3D printing technology.

“The lobster shell is always something that still amazes me by its very interesting shapes and architectures, and especially (as) the lobster shell is really amazingly very stiff,” lead researcher Jonathan Tran told Reuters.