Theo Jansen, Dutch artist famed for his kinetic sculptures, has been preoccupied for a period nearing two decades with his concept of creating a new form of "life." He envisions a Dutch coastline inhabited by his "strandbeests" and other structures of yellow piping that move with the power of the wind, outfitted to detect and change direction in the presence of water. In so doing, he engineered a mechanism by which his sculptures would be motile. This mechanism is more efficient than the wheel (i.e. less friction/resistance). Theoretically, the mechanism should be compatible with our current vehicle paradigm as they function on a stationary axle or "hip", all while having a much greater load carrying capacity. Product developers may begin to take notice now that students at the University of Louisiana created what they call the "Cajun Crawler" - a Segwey type of vehicle outfitted with the Jansen mechanism.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment