1/ As my first #bioinspiration course comes to an end, I thought I'd share a few of the cool bioinspired design concepts my brilliant @BatesCollege undergrads came up with...
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2/ Some context: the students had 6 weeks to begin designing and testing a prototype for a novel bioinspired product that would solve a problem faced by today's society. They worked in small groups, and had to conduct at least one formal experiment as part of the R&D process.
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3/ First up, I present "Ursusole", a grippy shoe sole inspired by polar bear paws.pic.twitter.com/nJ4KjJaq3L
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4/ This group wanted to develop an every-day, non-slip shoe that would keep folks upright when walking on ice.pic.twitter.com/KFUuo9C7SO
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5/ Polar bears are good at walking on ice, thanks in part to a bunch of papillae on their footpads, which are thought to enhance grip.pic.twitter.com/qLl9VTNFj4
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6/ To get a better idea of what these papillae look like and how they are structured, we enlisted the help of Dylan Wainwright, who graciously scanned an MCZ specimen for us. (A shout out to Dylan, who just successfully defended his Ph.D. at Harvard in the
@georgelauder lab!)pic.twitter.com/VJsVMYeBQsPrikaži ovu nit -
7/ Based on this info, my students designed and 3D printed a series of simplified papillary treads, using a variety of different resins, with
@formlabs Form 2 printer...pic.twitter.com/MwV8x14BxK
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8/ ...and used a
@VernierST force sensor to measure the force required to drag each tread pattern across ice in the Underhill Arena.pic.twitter.com/NUqGEFzGsf
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9/ They got very nice, clean results, and most interestingly, the best-performing tread for dry ice was different than the best-performing one for wet ice! (Keeping our results under wraps at this point, in case
@vibram wants to reach out :)Prikaži ovu nit -
10/ This project has a lot of potential for turning into a
@BatesCollege senior thesis project, so stay tuned!Prikaži ovu nit -
11/ And watch this thread for more bioinspired products in the coming days...
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Next up, we have the "TumbleSeed", a
#bioinspired seeding device designed by@BatesCollege students.pic.twitter.com/A2i9XKX9paPrikaži ovu nit -
This was inspired by both tumbleweeds and poppy seed pods, which have maraca-like form that relies on wind to shake out seeds from a small opening at the top for dispersal.pic.twitter.com/xx2bEWp8Gw
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The center chamber of their TumbleSeed is 3D printed, and has a bunch of holes that allow poppy seeds to sprinkle out as this thing rolls around. (It kind of looks like a Death Star.) The students spent some time figuring out the proper size and distribution of holes.pic.twitter.com/yjNuzjNr48
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Designing the spherical outer shell proved to be more challenging than expected, but the students settled on wetting and bending wooden dowels to specific diameters - a lightweight, low-cost solution.pic.twitter.com/Au7Wtjxbiq
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...and this thing screamed across campus with just a little wind!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gRtTaxN1u0 …
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*apologies to the Bates ground crew for any poppy plants that sprout up this summer.*
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The
@BatesCollege students who invented the TumbleSeed envision it as a low-cost, passive seeding device that could be used for habitat restoration in sensitive landscapes, agricultural colonization of other planets, or just having fun planting wildflowers in your backyard.Prikaži ovu nit -
20/ "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door" -Ralph Waldo Emerson "OK" -
@BatesCollege studentspic.twitter.com/7oyOIttnoh
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21/ Inspired by the pitcher plant, a carnivorous plant with modified leaves that trap insects, this student group designed the Teflotrap™, a humane, live-catch trap with a teflon-coated ramp that mice slide down and can't climb back up.pic.twitter.com/GgIFihOu6n
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22/ This project hit a pretty big snag when the students realized they wouldn't be able to use live mice because we didn't have enough time to work through the IACUC approval process.pic.twitter.com/C4ItVazdmu
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23/ So they did the next best thing: glued mice feet (from a recently deceased specimen) to miniature dowels and made a little mouse-footed table as a model.pic.twitter.com/A3YFPztTlS
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24/ They performed a bunch of sliding tests with their mouse model using an inclinable ramp to figure out what angle they needed...pic.twitter.com/tbWSgH5O0m
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25/ ..and discovered that mice feet are grippier when they are facing downhill vs. uphill.
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26/ This discovery sent them on a mission to the SEM to figure out why this might be, and they discovered some cool features of mouse footpads that help explain their results.pic.twitter.com/RinEa0Lhrg
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27/ This project was a great example of how the
#bioinspired design process often raises interesting biological questions that motivate further investigation through a new lens.Prikaži ovu nit -
28/ Look for the Teflotrap™ in a hardware store near you* *pending successful trials with actual live mice in the near futurepic.twitter.com/mTkyF8zecB
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29/ And finally, I present PangoGear™, flexible, lightweight and customizable body protection inspired by pangolin scales.pic.twitter.com/Tq7pK3YU9u
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30/ This group, henceforth called the "Pangoliers", started off with a completely different idea that didn't get off the ground for various reasons (a common experience in research!), so they regrouped and decided to explore this question with the limited time they had left.
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31/ Pangolins are anteaters native to Africa. They have large, tough keratin scales that cover their skin and serve as protective armor. They can curl up into hard little meatballs when lions and other predators attack.pic.twitter.com/P0Y5zRnafj
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32/ The Pangoliers were impressed with this form of body armor, which was both extremely tough and highly flexible, and wanted to design something similar for human use.
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33/ So they used our
#Formlabs 3D printer to print out a bunch of#bioinspired scales that would nest perfectly together and overlap one another.pic.twitter.com/JtEsZIjFxN
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