scholarly journals The Power of Mantis Shrimp Strikes: Interdisciplinary Impacts of an Extreme Cascade of Energy Release

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1573-1585 ◽  
Author(s):  
S N Patek
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Muscle Contraction ◽  
Energy Release ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Impact Fracture ◽  
Mantis Shrimp ◽  
Elastic Mechanism ◽  
Flow Through

Abstract In the course of a single raptorial strike by a mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda), the stages of energy release span six to seven orders of magnitude of duration. To achieve their mechanical feats of striking at the outer limits of speeds, accelerations, and impacts among organisms, they use a mechanism that exemplifies a cascade of energy release—beginning with a slow and forceful, spring-loading muscle contraction that lasts for hundreds of milliseconds and ending with implosions of cavitation bubbles that occur in nanoseconds. Mantis shrimp use an elastic mechanism built of exoskeleton and controlled with a latching mechanism. Inspired by both their mechanical capabilities and evolutionary diversity, research on mantis shrimp strikes has provided interdisciplinary and fundamental insights to the fields of elastic mechanisms, fluid dynamics, evolutionary dynamics, contest dynamics, the physics of fast, small systems, and the rapidly-expanding field of bioinspired materials science. Even with these myriad connections, numerous discoveries await, especially in the arena of energy flow through materials actuating and controlling fast, impact fracture resistant systems.

scholarly journals A Simple Transient Poiseuille-Based Approach to Mimic the Womersley Function and to Model Pulsatile Blood Flow

Dynamics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Andrea Natale Impiombato ◽  
Giorgio La Civita ◽  
Francesco Orlandi ◽  
Flavia Schwarz Franceschini Zinani ◽  
Luiz Alberto Oliveira Rocha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Quadratic Function ◽  
Pulsatile Blood Flow ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Simplified Analysis ◽  
Function Models ◽  
Flow Reversals

As it is known, the Womersley function models velocity as a function of radius and time. It has been widely used to simulate the pulsatile blood flow through circular ducts. In this context, the present study is focused on the introduction of a simple function as an approximation of the Womersley function in order to evaluate its accuracy. This approximation consists of a simple quadratic function, suitable to be implemented in most commercial and non-commercial computational fluid dynamics codes, without the aid of external mathematical libraries. The Womersley function and the new function have been implemented here as boundary conditions in OpenFOAM ESI software (v.1906). The discrepancy between the obtained results proved to be within 0.7%, which fully validates the calculation approach implemented here. This approach is valid when a simplified analysis of the system is pointed out, in which flow reversals are not contemplated.

scholarly journals Hip Range of Motion and Strength and Energy Flow During Windmill Softball Pitching

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen D. Oliver ◽  
Kyle Wasserberger ◽  
Anne de Swart ◽  
Kenzie Friesen ◽  
Jessica Downs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Range Of Motion ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
External Rotation ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Acceleration Phase ◽  
Hip Range Of Motion ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
The Relationship

Context Inadequate hip range of motion (ROM) and isometric strength (ISO) may interfere with energy flow through the kinetic chain and result in increased injury susceptibility. Objective To examine the relationship of hip ROM and ISO with energy flow through the trunk and pitching-arm segments during the windmill softball pitch in youth athletes. A subsequent purpose was to examine the relationship between energy flow and pitch speed. Design Descriptive laboratory study. Setting University research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants A sample of 29 youth softball pitchers (age = 11.2 ± 1.3 years, height = 155.0 ± 10.4 cm, mass = 53.2 ± 12.6 kg). Main Outcome Measure(s) Bilateral hip internal-rotation and external-rotation (ER) ROM and ISO were measured. Net energy outflow and peak rates of energy outflow from the distal ends of the trunk, humerus, and forearm were calculated for the acceleration phase of the windmill softball pitch, and pitch speed was measured. Results Regression analysis revealed an effect of drive-hip ER ISO on the net energy flow out of the distal ends of the trunk (P = .045) and humerus (P = .002). Specifically, increased drive-hip ER ISO was associated with increased net energy outflow from the trunk to the humerus and from the humerus to the forearm. No significant effects of hip ROM or other hip ISO measures were observed. Additionally, pitchers who achieved higher peak rates of distal outflow tended to achieve higher pitch speeds. Conclusions An association was present between drive-hip ER ISO and the net energy flow out of the distal ends of the trunk and humerus during the acceleration phase of the windmill softball pitch, emphasizing the importance of hip and lower body strength in executing the whole-body windmill pitch. Overall, energy-flow analysis is an interesting new way to analyze pitching mechanics and will aid in furthering our understanding of performance and injury risk in windmill softball pitching.

Inertia-Driven Controlled Passive Actuation

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douwe Dresscher ◽  
Theo J. A. de Vries ◽  
Stefano Stramigioli
Keyword(s):  
Energy Flow ◽  
Legged Locomotion ◽  
Continuously Variable Transmission ◽  
The State ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Storage Element ◽  
Abstraction Layer ◽  
Variable Transmission ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Flow Through

A serious problem with using electrical actuators in legged locomotion is the significant energy loss. For this reason, we propose and analyse an alternative means of actuation: Controlled Passive Actuation. Controlled Passive Actuation aims at reducing the energy flow through electric actuators by actuating with a combination of an energy storage element and a Continuously Variable Transmission. In this work, we present a method where we apply a Continuously Variable Transmission with a storage element in the form of a mass to change the state of another mass (“the load”). An abstraction layer is created to abstract the inertia-driven Controlled Passive Actuation to a source of effort, a force actuator. On this abstracted system, feedback control can be applied to achieve control goals such as path tracking. With simulations and experiments, we show that inertia-driven Controlled Passive Actuation can be used to control the state of an (inertial) load. The experimental results show that the performance of the system is affected by the internal dynamics and limited rate of change of the transmission ratio of the Continuously Variable Transmission.

On the computation of measure-valued solutions

Acta Numerica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 567-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrik S. Fjordholm ◽  
Siddhartha Mishra ◽  
Eitan Tadmor
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Numerical Algorithms ◽  
Approximate Solutions ◽  
Variational Problems ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Young Measures ◽  
Inviscid Fluid ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Uniqueness Of Solutions

A standard paradigm for the existence of solutions in fluid dynamics is based on the construction of sequences of approximate solutions or approximate minimizers. This approach faces serious obstacles, most notably in multi-dimensional problems, where the persistence of oscillations at ever finer scales prevents compactness. Indeed, these oscillations are an indication, consistent with recent theoretical results, of the possible lack of existence/uniqueness of solutions within the standard framework of integrable functions. It is in this context that Young measures – parametrized probability measures which can describe the limits of such oscillatory sequences – offer the more general paradigm of measure-valued solutions for these problems.We present viable numerical algorithms to compute approximate measure-valued solutions, based on the realization of approximate measures as laws of Monte Carlo sampled random fields. We prove convergence of these algorithms to measure-valued solutions for the equations of compressible and incompressible inviscid fluid dynamics, and present a large number of numerical experiments which provide convincing evidence for the viability of the new paradigm. We also discuss the use of these algorithms, and their extensions, in uncertainty quantification and contexts other than fluid dynamics, such as non-convex variational problems in materials science.

Effects of Hip Range of Motion and Isometric Strength on Energy Flow during Windmill Softball Pitching

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen D. Oliver ◽  
Kyle Wasserberger ◽  
Anne de Swart ◽  
Kenzie Friesen ◽  
Jessica Downs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Range Of Motion ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
External Rotation ◽  
Isometric Strength ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Acceleration Phase ◽  
Hip Range Of Motion ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Context:Inadequate hip range of motion (ROM) and isometric strength (ISO) may interfere with energy flow through the kinetic chain and result in increased injury susceptibility. Objective:To examine the relationship of hip ROM and ISO with energy flow through the trunk and pitching arm segments during the windmill softball pitch in youth athletes. A subsequent purpose was to examine the relationship between energy flow and pitch speed. Design:Descriptive laboratory study. Setting:University research laboratory. Participants:A sample of 29 youth softball pitchers (11.2±1.3 yrs.; 155.0±10.4 cm; 53.2±12.6 kg). Main Outcome Measure(s):Bilateral hip internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) ROM and ISO were measured. Net energy outflow and peak rates of energy outflow from the distal ends of the trunk, humerus, and forearm were calculated for the acceleration phase of the windmill softball pitch, and pitch speed was measured. Results:Regression analysis revealed a significant effect of drive hip ER ISO on the net energy flow out of the distal ends of the trunk (p=0.045) and humerus (p=0.002). Specifically, increased drive hip ER ISO was associated with increased net energy outflow from the trunk to the humerus and from the humerus to the forearm. No significant effects of hip ROM or other hip ISO measures were observed. Additionally, pitchers who achieved higher peak rates of distal outflow tended to also achieve higher pitch speeds. Conclusions:There is an association between drive hip ER ISO and the net energy flow out of the distal ends of the trunk and humerus during the acceleration phase of the windmill softball pitch, emphasizing the importance of hip and lower body strength in the execution of the whole-body windmill pitch. Overall, energy flow analysis is an interesting new way to analyze pitching mechanics and will aid in further understanding of performance and injury risk in windmill softball pitching.

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