SolidWorks World 2014 may have come and gone, but here at CAPINC we’re still relishing in the week’s events! As usual, Dassault Systèmes threw quite a bash, showing off the latest in SolidWorks solutions and engineering marvels.
The first day of the general sessions featured keynote speaker Hugh Herr, an engineer, biophysicist and rock climber who lost both legs beneath the knee after being caught in a blizzard for three days while climbing New Hampshire’s Mount Washington in 1982. Rather than resign himself to a life without climbing, Hugh designed his own prosthetics, eventually reaching the same level of climbing ability that he enjoyed before the accident.
Hugh Herr
With a B.A. in Physics from Millersville University, a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University, Hugh Herr has founded his own company, BioM, and is the head of the Biomechatronics Group at the MIT Media Lab, which specializes in the design and research of smart prosthetics and exoskeletons. Hugh has a vision of a world where there is no such as thing as debilitating disabilities, a world in which prosthetics and exoskeletons become an everyday mode of transportation for us. “I’m in the transportation business”, Hugh joked.
The BioM prosthetic legs mimic the movement of natural limbs by adapting to a person’s walking speed and the terrain of the land to help the prosthetic propel the person naturally. Using a battery source and springs for energy, the prosthetic legs augment a person’s ability to run and walk and normalize their pace as they move while enhancing stability and controlling for fatigue. The knee acts as an additional energy regenerator for prosthetics that are above the knee. To demonstrate the limbs in use, Hugh showed a video of a double amputee soldier from Iraq running up a hill without losing breath wearing the BioM prosthetic legs.
A user of his own product, Hugh Herr said that he sometimes calls himself a “glorified power tool”. He said that on days when he has not had his coffee, he has put his right prosthetic on his left leg. Usually the energy of the battery in the prosthetic allows him to walk about 3000 steps. When designing his legs, Hugh realized that his legs need not look human as long as they operated optimally. Combining 3D printing technology with neurobiology, Hugh was able to create a technology that would allow him to move around freely every day and continue to pursue his love of rock climbing.
“The great thing about these BioM artificial limbs is that I can adjust my height to anything I want it to be, if I’m going on a date for example. I can be 6 feet tall if I want to be!” Hugh said.
Hugh’s lab is also working on creating exoskeletons to create extra-mobility for athletes with normal limbs to allow people to train on different terrains without ruining their joints. He concluded his presentation with his cover photo on Wired magazine featuring Amy Mullins, a double amputee American athlete. He said that the photo shows her acceptance and pride in her disability which has allowed her to achieve amazing athletic feats.
During the second general session, the crowd was introduced to the creators of the Mondo Spider. The organization called eatART “fosters art research with a focus on large-scale, technically sophisticated art by supporting both independent and internal art projects.” Jonathan Tippett, founder of eatART, talked about their vision which was instrumental to the design of the Mondo Spider.
Mondo Spider
Since its start, designing and building a walking machine made out of junkyard parts for a competition, eatART has designed Daisy the Mobile Lounge, a regular at Burning Man; the Mondo Spider, featured on Discovery Channel and in the Fox comedy Enlisted; the Titanoboa, showcased at CES and Maker Faire; and the Prosthesis, an anti-robotic walking machine still in the design phase. For eatART, all of their projects start with a vision that is then assigned to different teams. With these creative ideas and design teams, the future of engineering is sure to be inspiring.
Also featured during the general sessions at SolidWorks World 2014 was the BoDyn team, consisting of Geoff Bodine and Bob Cuneo, who are behind the design of the Night Train 2 bobsled that the United States 2014 Olympic bobsled team has taken to Sochi, Russia. CEO of Dassault Systemes Bertrand Sicot had an opportunity to visit with the team last year in Park City, Utah, and got the ride of his life, taking a run in the bobsled. He showed video documenting his first ever bobsled run, and the team discussed what goes into designing a bobsled used in the winter games.
A former Nascar racer and winner of the 1984 Daytona 500, Geoff became obsessed with bobsledding and knew he needed to apply his trade knowledge to help the United States bobsled team win races by optimizing their designs. Hiring Bob Cuneo, a famous engineer and designer, was his first step towards enhancing the bobsled design and achieving victory.
Since then, the United States bobsled team has won numerous medals including one at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 and the 2014 World Cup. “To optimize the sled we studied the rule books and the parameters to try to fit them into our design. We played around with helmets and the inner mechanics – the bobsled is not just a sled on skis because there is a huge emphasis on control and aerodynamics,” Bob explained.
Photos by Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project Inc.
BoDyn relied on SolidWorks to model the behavior of the sled on the track, saving the company from many iterations in their design. “We work with our field engineer, Jim “Cheech” Garde, who reports on the results of the races and the sled’s performance. One year at a race in Germany, our bobsled had an unfortunate wreck. Cheech got back to us right away and we were able to redo the carbon fiber. Within one week, our sled was fully restored and ready for racing,” Geoff said. Working with the athletes, BoDyn Bobsled customized the sled design to make it perfect for steering and control.
It is fair to say that yet again, SolidWorks World featured some amazing keynote speakers with impressive stories and innovative designs. It’ll be hard to top SolidWorks World 2014, but we have a feeling that in February next year at SolidWorks World 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona we’ll witness more magic!