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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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.Show this thread -
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.Show this thread -
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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34/ The scales were individually glued to a thin sheet of silicone, which allowed for overall flexion of the layup. They discovered that increased spacing between each scale yielded greater flexibility, but wondered whether there was a tradeoff between flexibility and protection.pic.twitter.com/rZw98QsIPV
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35/ To test the puncture resistance of different scale designs, they dropped a weighted spear onto scales from increasing heights, and measured the momentum required to break the scales. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtsUx0-aAlQ …
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36/ (BTW, thanks to those who offered suggestions before on how to measure puncture resistance:
@invertenerd@kenaley@EC_carrington@JacobPeters10@TomDoesScience@robincoope @toadooo. Due to severe time constraints, we settled on this relatively simple test.)Show this thread -
37/ The Pangoliers discovered that it required a greater momentum to break smaller scales (not surprisingly), but that this difference was due not only to the size of the scale that was struck, but also to the area over which the force was distributed to the underlying scales.
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38/ They envision PangoGear™ as lightweight, flexible body armor that, when paired with appropriate body-customizing software, could be printed on home 3D printers by consumers who need protective gear for various sports, motorcyclists, etc.
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39/ And that's a wrap for this rundown of student projects from the first offering of my Bioinspiration course at
@BatesCollege. Thanks for coming along for the ride, and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the next installment of this course!Show this thread -
(And it would be sooooper awesome if
@BatesCollege could get a Makerspace up and running in time for the next installment of this course. Hint hint@BatesDeanofFac :)Show this thread
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