7.1b Abstracting Strategies

Gabe Pyle | A 7.1b | July 2015

Abstracting Strategies

Project Summary:
The Biospire Insect Catcher is a bug catcher for kids that allows kids to take part in observing and participating nature without encouraging them to disrupt it.

It will help them capture, study, and release bugs safely and in a way that doesn’t harm the insects.

Report purpose:
This report serves as an update on the biomimetic development of the Biospire Insect Catcher kit. The second phase of development resulted in outlining of the mechanical components involved in a critical function the product of the product. The results of this second phase of product development are outlined below.

Function being addressed:
One of the critical functions the Biospire Insect Catcher must accomplish is the intake of gases, particularly air, and any small, loose solids light enough for the rapid intake of air to capture.   

A technical description of the strategies used to perform this function can be read below. 

Strategy: Depress/deflate a spherical, semi-rigid air sac to forcefully expel air.

The spherical walls of the air sac, once depressed, invert on themselves, leaving the air-sac in a state of tension, as the walls will want to re-invert on themselves to resume the original structure. 

A touch sensitive membrane seals the air sac, preventing the semi rigid air sac from resuming its original structure.

Once the sealing membrane reacts to outside contact, breaking the seal, the semi-rigid air sac rapidly regains its original structure, causing air to rush in.

Next steps in the development process will be do conceptualize the above strategy into a rough design idea.