Product designer and human-computer interaction programmer Takahito Murakami along with his team of student researchers studying at the University of Tsukuba's Research and Development Center for Digital Nature introduce the new Kuchibashi tweezer design.
The team turns their attention to nature for inspiration and the Kuchibashi is a tweezer that is inspired by the New Caledonian crow, specifically its beak due to the enhanced grip. Murakami had explained to ACM SIGGRAPH that the team wanted to work towards creating a prosthetic finger to pick up small objects and noticed that the crow's beak functions similarly to the way that human hands grab objects. To create the Kuchibashi, the team 3D printed the prototype with dependence on CT scans.
Crow Beak-Inspired Tweezers
Takahito Murakami and Researchers Design the Kuchibashi
Trend Themes
1. Nature-inspired Tweezers - Opportunity to develop more products inspired by nature to improve human-computer interaction and prosthetics design.
2. 3D Printed Prototypes - Disruptive innovation opportunity to cut down on prototyping costs and speed up the design process for various industries.
3. Enhanced Grip Technology - Potential for this technology to be applied to other fields requiring a stronger grip such as robotics, construction, and manufacturing.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare Technology - Opportunity to improve prosthetic design and development with nature-inspired products to enhance patient comfort and mobility.
2. 3D Printing - Opportunity for 3D printing industry to expand into the prototyping market for various industries including product design and manufacturing.
3. Robotics - Potential for robotic engineering to improve grip strength and precision by utilizing enhanced grip technology inspired by nature.