Title: Biomimetic Mechanisms

Goal: Students will understand the potential outputs of mechanisms with rotational input and apply it to their organism's movement

Vocabulary: Biomimetic, Mechanism, Input, Output

Instructions: 

Step 00: Look through the library of mechanisms that we have on the front table. Choose a mechanism that has a similar output to the motion you deconstructed in Part 1.

Step 01: Recreate your chosen mechanism as is using the provided materials.

Step 02: Alter your mechanism to customize it for your organism, based on your motion deconstruction.

Step 03: Using all of the techniques we have learned, create a skeletal structure out of cardboard that moves with the mechanism you just prototyped. Remember, this structure should not look exactly like your animal!

Deliverables: Add on to your post in the response tab of this assignment to include a labeled photo of your mechanism, a GIF of your working mechanism alone, and a photo or GIF of your mechanism attached to your skeleton. Under your post, answer the questions: "What mechanism did you choose for this assignment, and what motion did you recreate? What worked, and what did not?"

The Sperm whale is a massive marine mammal that feeds on giant squid. It moves by moving it spine up and down the flukes at the end of its tail push the animal through the water.

Session 3: Aug 8 - 19, 2022

Oftentimes explorers, rescuers, and disaster aid workers find themselves in underwater situations where they don’t have adequate tools to fulfill their mission. These situations might come about because of climate change, a post-disaster flood, or even daily life in a submarine. What if we had robots to carry out these dangerous missions for us? Enter the world of deep sea robotics where the underwater environment calls for a shift in the way robots are designed and deployed. 

How will these robots use the depth of the sea to its advantage as it maneuvers through the sea floors, slithers through the kelp forest, and collects rare specimens unscathed using precise grippers? In this studio, students will take inspiration from deep sea creatures and design devices and bots to carry out dangerous underwater missions using deformable and sustainable materials like bioplastics and control movement through compliant mechanisms.  

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Focus Skills/Subjects/Technologies:

Creator: Ludwig Tay