Constructed in 2011, this sculpture was made by a student at CMU. In fact, it was a final project for this course last year.

As a mechanical engineer, I am infatuated with anything that moves, but this creature has some smarts to it, and some pleasing aesthetic qualities that make it appealing to a wide audience. The structure is comprised of specially designed laser-cut gears that interface at a smaller and smaller scale as the structure grows longer. Each segment is also outfitted with a laser-cut paper structure that serve as frills to the spiny structure. Only the base of each ‘tentacle’ is actuated; a hobby servo motor is embedded in addition to an Arduino and Lynx Motion controller.

Under normal conditions, the creature waves around, as if being coerced by an undersea current. However, when a potential threat approaches, an infrared proximity sensor alerts the creature and it assumes a defensive, curling behavior.

Additional images and description of the fabrication process are located on the creator’s blog.