3D Bishop

For my second STEAM action project in Rapid Prototyping I was told to create a Bishop from chess out of clay, plastic, and cardboard. Overall the project was easier than I expected and I had a lot of fun doing it. My favorite part was making the digital model of it even though it was also the hardest part. It was my favorite part because I was able to get such precise measurements and see it come to life. I didn't like making it out of cardboard because it didn't look how I wanted to and it was tedious to cut out the pieces for the model. If I had the opportunity to do this project again I would try to change my Bishop's hat because I thought it was too small at the base and too pointy at the top. This was definitely my favorite project to do.

Amphibmarine

This is my second STEAM action project for Biomimicry. I was told to create a hous that is based on an animal of my choice, so I chose the Mudpuppy and the Mexican Lance Headed Rattlesnake. When I took pictures of my poster I had trouble getting a specific view on the pieces I wanted to show in a picture. I also had trouble scanning all my pictures in a scanner because I couldn't make the colors dark enough and it would mess up. Overall I liked this project. I got to see my animals in real life at the zoo which was my favorite part of this unit.

MJF(2015)Poster 
Mudpuppy                                  

• The Mudpuppy is an amphibian                  
• It has external gills which is rare                  
• It is protective of it's eggs which is rare
• It spends most of it's time on land

Mexican Lance-Headed Rattlesnake

• It's brown with even darker brown spots
• It's fangs are longer than an average rattle snake
• It has diamond shaped sscales

Habitat and Adaptions

The Mudpuppy (or Necturus maculosuslives), A.K.A. Waterdog, in the central timezone, North and South in fresh water sources. Of course the there are different biomes for each half of America. So the upper side of the mississippi river for example is in the the side of the U.S., therefore it freezes  in that area a lot. Unlike it’s counterpart the lower side of the mississippi river is a lot warmer and doesn’t freeze due to its high temperatures. In the cold example I added insulation to my mobile home, which is how the Mudpuppy uses it’s fat. In the South they don’t have to worry about the cold as much and they are able to swim freely and bask in the sun. There is also different terrains in both halves of the U.S. In the Northern side there is a lot more underwater cliffs, while the South is more flat . Thats where my all terrain aspect comes in and it can move on different surfaces. There are other sources of water that the Mudpuppy uses, this is just only one of many of the habitats it lives in.

MJF(2015)Poster 

MJF(2015)Poster 

The Mexican Lance Headed rattlesnake (Crotalus polystictus) was the animal I chose for my specific design. Thinking about the animal I decided to make the house more flexible just in case of a current. So I also made sure the home was armored and with the scales aspect to make sure it could flex and not break. To more link it with the Mudpuppy I came up with more similar aspects of the Mudpuppy. I added an extra oxygen tank to relate to the salamander’s gills, that way if humans in the vehicle run out of air they  have reserves. There are also filters that take in water when you want and heat it up and filter it so you have water for drinking and cleaning. This is supposed to symbolize the skin on the salamander which soaks up water and nutrients. The crane of course is the Mudpuppy’s hands, and it’s used to move rocks out of the way if needed. There is a propeller that symbolizes the tail that way the house can be propelled forward under water if the wheels can’t get it done. Speaking of the wheels I made all terrain wheels that can go both on land and the water which is like the amphibian aspect of the Mudpuppy.

MJF(2015)Poster 

MJF(2015)Poster 

MJF(2015)Poster 

Sources Cited


"Mexican Lance-headed Rattlesnake - Detroit Zoo." Detroit Zoo. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.

"Mudpuppies, Mudpuppy Pictures, Mudpuppy Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.

"Critter Catalog." BioKIDS. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.