Squid Tentacles, Elephant Trunks, Tongues, and Soft Robots

September 29, 2015

William M. Kier, Professor of Biology

What do the arms and tentacles of squid and octopus, the tongues of mammals and lizards, and the trunks of elephants have in common? Biologist William Kier’s research in biomechanics demonstrates they all have remarkably similar structure and move using similar principles. He’ll also talk about collaborating with robotics engineers to use the principles of function of these biological examples to design a new class of flexible robot arms with distinct advantages over conventional robots.

TIME: 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.

All Spotlight on Scholars events take place at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill. There are no preparatory readings for these events.

Program Tuition: Tuition is $20 for everyone paying at the door. Register ahead of time and pay $18.00 per program or pay only $8 if you are a member of the UNC General Alumni Association (GAA). To receive a discount, registrations must be received at least 1 business day before the event. If you take the GAA discount and are not a GAA member, you will be asked to join or pay the difference before the event. To check your membership status or to join the GAA, please visit alumni.unc.edu or call 800.962.0742. GAA membership is open to all UNC alumni and friends.

Flyleaf Books: Location and Contact Info

752 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (Historic Airport Rd)
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Next to The Root Cellar (Formerly Foster’s Market)
Phone# 919-942-7373
info(at)flyleafbooks.com
http://www.flyleafbooks.com/