Abstract

This talk explores the dynamics of biological and bio-inspired systems, from ultra-fast accelerations in click beetles to vibration damping in interlocking metasurfaces (ILMs). I will introduce a multi-scale analytical and experimental framework to investigate how small organisms repeatedly generate extreme accelerations (up to 10^6 m/s²) without incurring significant damage. The tools developed accelerate the development and integration of ILMs, a new, multi-functional joining technology, for vibration mitigation in engineering applications ranging from aerospace and defense, to micro-robotics and prosthetics.

Speaker

Dr. Ophelia Bolmin

Ophelia Bolmin is an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. She currently leads the Mechanisms Inspired by Nature for Dynamics (MIND) lab. Her research focused on designing and fabricating bio-inspired adaptive mechanical structures for dynamic tailoring, at the interface between structural dynamics, biomechanics, physiology, design, and manufacturing. Prior to joining CMU, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at Sandia National Laboratories. She holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from ENSTA Bretagne (France), an M.S. in aerospace engineering and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.