Episode 4: Robots, Structures,&Art (Oh My!), Part 1 ft. David Melancon - a podcast by bosscience

What do all three of these have in common? They are all the inspiration for the research done at the Bertoldi Lab of "Material and Structures by Design"! Join me as I talk to PhD candidate David Melancon, and learn all about his amazing work in the fields of soft robotics and metamaterials.

 

In today's episode you'll learn; what the hell is a metamaterial, how a classic childhood toy can be the basis for a new robot, what structures can be made using origami techniques, how the artform kirigami can be used for science, why bending actuators are amazing but creepy, how snakes move and how scientists have learned from them, and what in the world 40 rolls of duct tape can be used for.

Show Notes:

 

TODAY'S GUEST:

David Melancon, PhD Candidate in the Bertoldi Group at Harvard University School of Applied Science and Engineering

• First author on paper "Multistable inflatable origami structures at the metre scale"

LINKS:

• Bertoldi Research Group


• Soft robot jumper paper


• Origami deployable structure paper


• Kirigami snake bot paper


• Starfish robot paper

IMAGE CREDIT:

• Soft jumper robot, deployable origami shelter and archway videos - provided by David Melancon


• Toy popper video


• Boa snake movement and kirigami snake bot movement video


• Bending actuator video


• 4 legged crawler soft robot video

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