Week 4 Update (2 of 2): Creo Assembly and Tongue Design Progress

During the final hours of week 4, the team created a 3D assembly of the compressed air mechanism. Each of the components were using a computer aided design program (Creo Parametric). The final assembly is shown below:

Additionally, the team continued brainstorming ideas for an effective tongue mechanism. As of this week, the potential systems have been narrowed down to three methods, two of which call of a retractable, reusable tongue. The third calls for a disposable, nonretractable tongue.

• Disposable Design (Boxed in red on sketch above):
• Constructed of a lightweight, cheap, plastic material.
• Will not be retractable
• Will not be reusable
• Third Resort
• Non-Disposable Design #1
• Contructed of Nylon Material
• Retractable via elastic band
• Attached on the interior of the tongue
• First Resort
• Reusable
• Non-Disposable Design #2
• Constructed of Nylon Material
• Retractable via spring
• Attached on the exterior of the tongue
• Second Resort
• Reusable 

Week 4 Update (1 of 2): Potential Design Applications

 

There are a number of biomimetic applications for the mechanism of the chameleon’s tongue. An engineered chameleon’s tongue could firstly be used to supplant flyswatters: the design is indeed advantageous over the fly-swatter as it can be used on larger insects because the tongue is adhesive and has a large surface area, it doesn’t make a splatter or mess on the wall because it retrieves the insect from the environment. Moreover, the dead insect can be disposed of easily. Additionally, this design could also be used to collect insects, it can therefore supplant the butterfly net which has a number of disadvantages. The proposed design would indeed be preferable to butterfly nets because it would able to collect insects on surfaces in addition to airborne insects, it would not damage the insect under study as the tongue is soft as well as adhesive and it would only catch the intended insects because it’s a very targeted tool. Finally this design can have a number of applications in the industrial sector as it can be used products in factory lines. The proposed design could effectively serve to collect defective products or to collect products for control testing. The design can be beneficial for this application as it would not damage the product when removing it from the factory line. It’s worth noting that if automated, the applications of the proposed design can be amplified exponentially.

Week 3 Update: CAD Assembly Researching Additional Applications

This week, all of the components to be included in the pressurized air portion of the assembly have been determined. 1-1/4 inch schedule 40 PVC pipe and endcaps will be used to create the air tank. At the bottom of the tank, a schrader valve (the valves often used to inflate bike tires) will be attatched and will provide the tank with a means of being filled. An air blow gun, commonly used on pressurized air hoses, will act as the trigger to the device.

In accordance with our projected design timeline included on the project proposal, work also began this week on creating a 3D model of the entire fly-swatter using Creo Parametric. Three of the parts constructed during this week are shown below (Clockwise from upper-left: 1-1/4 inch PVC pipe, 1-1/4 inch PVC end cap, air blow gun).

During week 4, these components will be cut to size, modified, and assembled to complete the first portion of the design. A tutorial will likely be provided and any questions regarding the assembly will be addressed.

Week 2 Update: Research and Potential Prototypes

The goals for this week were to continue research the biology and mechanics behind the chameleon's tongue. The tongue consists of three primary components: The accelerator muscles, the retractor muscles, and the sticky tip. The tip of the tongue resembles a club. Covered with sticky saliva, the tongue's surface is also abrasive to increase grip. The soft tip wraps around prey during impact to minimize the pressure on the insect decreasing the chances of obliterating the bug.

Using this information, significant progress was made determining the basic mechanics behind the insect swatter. The mechanism will replicate a chameleon's tongue as closely as mechanically possible by launching the tongue in a rapid linear motion in the direction of the target insect. The tip of the mechanical tongue will attempt to mimic the tip of the chameleon's. It will be covered with a soft sticky substance that will gently snatch the insect instead splattering it upon impact. Once the tongue has fully extended and the adhesive tip has made contact with the insect, the tongue will rapidly retract to it's pre-firing position.  After the tongue's motion has stopped, the insect will be removed from the end of the device, completing the process.

In order to achieve rapid extension of the tongue, the group decided to design a pressurized air system. An on board pressurized air tank will be filled to a given pressure. Once the tank is filled, the device could be considered "loaded". When the device is ready to be fired, a trigger will be pulled which will release the compressed air in the tank extending an inflatable tongue mounted at the muzzle. The sudden rush of air is expected to unroll the tongue in a similar fashion to a party horn. We are still brainstorming ways to replicate the tongue's retractor muscles.

Using these mechanics, the group worked up a rough sketch of a potential prototype.

Week 1 Update: Project Proposal

Our original Week 1 post was removed, since our entire project idea has been changed completely. All posts on this page will henceforth refer to the Chameleon Mimicry: Insect Eliminator project. This post will be published in lieu of our first weekly update.

To put our new proposal briefly: We are attempting to completely rethink the traditional flyswatter by mimicking the highly effective chameleon tongue. The goal is to develop a device which uses a highly accurate linear motion to rapidly target and capture insects resting on a static surface. More detailed information will be presented in week 2, once we have conducted further research and brainstorming of potential prototypes.

This blog contains several pages that will supplemental information that may be useful to anybody wanting to replicate this project in the future. On the navigation bar above, we have included sections for background information, tutorials, and FAQs. These pages will be updated throughout the developmental process in order to pave the way for those wishing to replicate our work.