Building muscle: Stevenson student wins national engineering competition
Stone Beach >> > > A Stevenson School pupil has gained a national competitors for her proposal to construct a much better artificial muscular tissue.
Emma Morgan, 17, was among 3 victors selected in a competitors held by the Massachusetts Institute of Innovation. The contest, run by an MIT pupil team called THINK-- short for Technology for Humankind guided by Advancement, Networking, and also Expertise-- tested high institution pupils throughout the country to come up with concepts for new scientific research as well as technology projects. Morgan's proposition was chosen from even more than 100 other entrances.
Her suggestion, which intends to help create more lifelike as well as all-natural muscle mass for robotics or prosthetics, constructs off her interest in robotics.
"I was really attempting to build a self-governing robotic pet cat plaything," Morgan said.
She looked online for the right component to complete her project however couldn't find anything appropriate. So, she claimed, she determined to develop her own.
Morgan's vision is to construct a synthetic muscle out of smaller cells. Each cell utilizes two magnets. One is irreversible, with its north and south poles fixed. The various other can have its poles flipped by transforming the direction of an electric current. Since like poles repel and also unlike posts draw in, the muscle cell could be contracted as well as unwinded by flipping a switch.
The cells could additionally hook with each other, permitting the building of longer synthetic muscle fibers. Morgan's proposal included strategies to check various sizes of magnets in the cells along with numerous enclosures.
She's been enthusiastic about design considering that she took a summer season electrical design training course supplied by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Young people.
"I stated 'This looks enjoyable. Maybe I'll try it out,'" she stated. "As well as I loved it!"
Morgan traveled to MIT throughout the very first week of February with 5 other finalists to present her proposition and also fulfill with faculty as well as students. After rendering a 10-page paper as well as a 25-minute talk, she went through an extensive concern and also response session with courts. She emerged a victor with two other senior high school students, one from New York and also another from Ohio.
Morgan will certainly receive $2,000 to assist her construct a model. Her job must be completed by the end of May, after which MIT will evaluate all the completed clothing and also pick a grand reward victor. That title consists of a $1,000 scholarship, which Morgan wants to use to go to MIT in a couple years.
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