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July 19 (UPI) – "Do no harm" is a motto that many professions do their best to respect – including marine biologists. When studying delicate soft-bodied organisms, doing no harm is not an easy task.
To trap and conserve fragile marine organisms, a team of Harvard researchers and the University of Rhode Island turned to origami. scientists built an encapsulation device consisting of five "petals" of 3D printed polymers. Segmented petals are connected by a series of rotating joints. A simple motor applies torsional force to the joints to fold or unfold petals
Once unfolded, the petals form a dodecahedron structure, a rounded box that can be used to trap small organisms
. It's very good for bringing an entire animal to the surface, but it can very quickly surround a delicate animal without harming it, "said Brennan Phillips, an assistant professor of ocean engineering at Rhode Island, in a press release. "We plan to equip a next-generation device with cameras, sensors and a means of collecting small tissue samples for genetic work."
Eventually, the creators hope The rotation-powered dodecahedron will help biologists identify new species on the high seas and high seas without ever bringing them to the surface.
"There are literally thousands of species of gelatinous animals that remain undescribed in the deep sea." The researchers first tested their device at the Mystic Aquarium, capturing and safely releasing jellyfish from the moon while they were swimming underwater.Then scientists attached the device to the robotic arm of a remotely operated submarine vehicle. Biologists have used this technology to successfully capture squids and jellyfish at depths of 1600 to 2300 feet.
Engineers believe that their collapsible design – detailed this week in the journal Science Robotics – could have various applications. [19659002"Nouscroyonsquelaconceptiongéométriquepeutêtreutiliséepourdeschosescommedesréseauxsolairesdéployablesetdesmiroirsdansl'espaceainsiquepourlafabricationàl'échellenanométrique"adéclaréPhillips"Ilyaprobablementbeaucoupotherpotentialapplicationsbutuseofhigh-techstechnologyforstudywaterdropsisreallythebestthinginmyopinion"
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