A nonlinear vibration isolator inspired by the arc-shaped multi-vertebra structure of a bird’s neck

Inspired by the stabilization of a bird’s head by the arc-shaped supporting structure of its neck, a nonlinear vibration isolator that imitates these properties is proposed. The geometry and stiffness properties of the isolator, which consists of three rods connected by torsional springs, are designed for a specific payload to realize an isolator with a very low natural frequency offering good vibration isolation properties over a wide frequency range. A prototype is constructed to isolate a smart phone camera mounted on a bicycle from vibration excitation due to a rough road. The results show that the isolator is effective above a frequency of approximately 1 Hz.