Prizes for Eels, Algae, Leaves, and More
In the Keller Lab at the University of Washington, Seattle, Ido Levin and Sarah Keller investigate how soft materials develop wrinkles in the absence of external stresses. Their typical experimental subject is a rectangular polymer sheet in which a wrinkling instability is triggered by swelling one half of the sheet. But for their poster, Levin says, the researchers made specimens with more aesthetic appeal: biomimetic “leaves.”. More…
Shark intestines inspire pipes with a strictly one-way flow
When you turn on a faucet, water flows one way: out into the sink, then down the drain. That one-way flow is important. If the flow reversed, clean water might become dirtied by germs or other contaminants. But keeping the flow moving in one direction isn’t always easy; it often requires valves that can break. Researchers have now developed pipes that keep liquids moving one way — and they’re valve-free. More…
These 3D-printed pipes inspired by shark intestines outperform Tesla valves
Scientists at the University of Washington have re-created the distinctive spiral shapes of shark intestines in 3D-printed pipes in order to study the unique fluid flow inside the spirals. Their prototypes kept fluids flowing in one preferred direction with no need for flaps to control that flow and performed significantly better than so-called “Tesla valves,” particularly when made of soft polymers, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More…
What Physicists Can Learn from Shark Intestines
Ido Levin, a physicist in the lab of Sarah Keller at the University of Washington, became interested in the physics flow of fluid through these shark spirals. He will present how 3D printing models of shark intestines is helping them learn about how these spirals work on Monday, February 20 at the 67th Annual Biophysical Society Meeting in San Diego, California. More…
Researchers 3D Print Shark Intestine-inspired Fluid Devices
Researchers are looking to the unique spiral shape of shark intestines to learn how to create fluid flow in one direction, which could have applications for soft robotics and medical devices.
Physicist Ido Levin and colleagues at the University of Washington created soft, 3D structures that mimic aspects of the shark intestines using a 3D printer. which have a soft, flexible design that deforms under flow, leading to faster fluid flow in one direction.More…
New wood 3D printing material could be used to create self-assembling flat-pack furniture
Made from a mixture of wood flour and plant extracts, the eco-friendly feedstock is able to shapeshift due to the fiber orientations in its wood content, which cause it to warp as it dries. While the team developed their material a few years ago, they recently discovered that by controlling the way it’s laid down, they could time how its moisture content evaporates, in a way that allows it to form complex objects. More…
Your next wooden chair could arrive flat, then dry into a 3D shape
Wooden objects are usually made by sawing, carving, bending or pressing. That’s so old school! Today, scientists will describe how flat wooden shapes extruded by a 3D printer can be programmed to self-morph into complex 3D shapes. More…
Flat Wooden 3D Printed Shapes Programmed to Morph into 3D Shapes
Wooden objects are usually made by sawing, carving, bending or pressing. Now scientists describe how flat wooden shapes extruded by a 3D printer can be programmed to self-morph into complex 3D shapes. More…
Shape-shifting pasta could reduce packaging costs
Technology transfer company Yissum announced that researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a technique to transform dried pasta sheets into traditional, bulkier pasta shapes when placed in boiling water. More…
Rippling polymer sheets flex like muscles
A pulsating polymer gel has been used to make sheets that can ripple in a similar way to a muscle contracting. The work could aid the development of autonomous soft machines with life-like actuators for locomotion. More…