Tom Masselter
YOU?
Author Swipe
View article: Beyond the bilayer: multilayered hygroscopic actuation in pine cone scales
Beyond the bilayer: multilayered hygroscopic actuation in pine cone scales Open
The anisotropic hygroscopic behavior of pine cone scales and its effect on bending motion, with implications for bioinspired actuation, is investigated. Using gravimetric water uptake measurements, synchrotron radiation-based nano-holotomo…
View article: Unrolling of <i>Syngonium podophyllum</i> : Functional Anatomy, Morphology and Modelling of Its Peltate Leaves
Unrolling of <i>Syngonium podophyllum</i> : Functional Anatomy, Morphology and Modelling of Its Peltate Leaves Open
The mechanisms underlying leaf unfolding remain largely speculative and are often inferred from mathematical models. Peltate leaves, unlike typical foliage leaves, frequently emerge in a “rolled‐up” state. This study investigates mechanism…
View article: Quantifying hygroscopic deformation in lignocellulosic tissues: a digital volume correlation tool comparison
Quantifying hygroscopic deformation in lignocellulosic tissues: a digital volume correlation tool comparison Open
Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) was used to study the hygroscopic shrinkage in lignocellulosic tissues. For this, small tissue segments of only a few cells were prepared from the endocarp of Hura crepitans fruits, the sclereid cell layer …
View article: Lowering the Entrance Hurdle for Lab Automation: An Artificial Intelligence‐Supported, Interactive Robotic Arm for Automated, Repeated Testing Procedures
Lowering the Entrance Hurdle for Lab Automation: An Artificial Intelligence‐Supported, Interactive Robotic Arm for Automated, Repeated Testing Procedures Open
Laboratory automation is crucial for improving efficiency and enhancing reproducibility in scientific workflows. However, industrial solutions mostly do not fit the needs of scientific institutions, such as cost efficiency, customizability…
View article: Investigation of the resilience of cyclically actuated pine cone scales of Pinus jeffreyi
Investigation of the resilience of cyclically actuated pine cone scales of Pinus jeffreyi Open
The resilience of pine cone scales has been investigated in the context of current architectural efforts to develop bioinspired passive façade shading systems that can help regulate the indoor climate. As previously shown for other species…
View article: Leaf unfolding and lamina biomechanics in Syngonium podophyllum and Pilea peperomioides
Leaf unfolding and lamina biomechanics in Syngonium podophyllum and Pilea peperomioides Open
In nature, leaves and their laminae vary in shape, appearance and unfolding behaviour. We investigated peltate leaves of two model species with peltate leaves and highly different morphology ( Syngonium podophyllum and Pilea peperomioides …
View article: Improvement of a microfiber filter for domestic washing machines
Improvement of a microfiber filter for domestic washing machines Open
The development of enhanced processes for filtration is one solution for stopping the increasing freshwater and sea pollution caused by microplastic and microfibers. Major contributors to micro-X pollution are domestic devices such as wash…
View article: Morphology and Anatomy of Branch–Branch Junctions in Opuntia ficus-indica and Cylindropuntia bigelovii: A Comparative Study Supported by Mechanical Tissue Quantification
Morphology and Anatomy of Branch–Branch Junctions in Opuntia ficus-indica and Cylindropuntia bigelovii: A Comparative Study Supported by Mechanical Tissue Quantification Open
The Opuntioideae include iconic cacti whose lateral branch–branch junctions are intriguing objects from a mechanical viewpoint. We have compared Opuntia ficus-indica, which has stable branch connections, with Cylindropuntia bigelovii, whos…
View article: Self-Actuated Paper and Wood Models: Low-Cost Handcrafted Biomimetic Compliant Systems for Research and Teaching
Self-Actuated Paper and Wood Models: Low-Cost Handcrafted Biomimetic Compliant Systems for Research and Teaching Open
The abstraction and implementation of plant movement principles into biomimetic compliant systems are of increasing interest for technical applications, e.g., in architecture, medicine, and soft robotics. Within the respective research and…
View article: 3D Reticulated Actuator Inspired by Plant Up-Righting Movement Through a Cortical Fiber Network
3D Reticulated Actuator Inspired by Plant Up-Righting Movement Through a Cortical Fiber Network Open
Since most plant movements take place through an interplay of elastic deformation and strengthening tissues, they are thus ideal concept generators for biomimetic hingeless actuators. In the framework of a biomimetic biology push process, …
View article: Rinse, Sense, Adjust, Repeat: Biomimetic Continuous Process Water Analysis in Washing Machines Based on the Hammerhead Shark's Olfaction Hydrodynamics
Rinse, Sense, Adjust, Repeat: Biomimetic Continuous Process Water Analysis in Washing Machines Based on the Hammerhead Shark's Olfaction Hydrodynamics Open
Domestic household appliances (e.g., washing machines) are major factors in the anthropogenic global energy balance, which is why an efficient control of their energy and material consumption are of great importance in the future. At the s…
View article: Resolving Form–Structure–Function Relationships in Plants with MRI for Biomimetic Transfer
Resolving Form–Structure–Function Relationships in Plants with MRI for Biomimetic Transfer Open
In many biomimetic approaches, a deep understanding of the form–structure–function relationships in living and functionally intact organisms, which act as biological role models, is essential. This knowledge is a prerequisite for the ident…
View article: Silent Pumpers: A Comparative Topical Overview of the Peristaltic Pumping Principle in Living Nature, Engineering, and Biomimetics
Silent Pumpers: A Comparative Topical Overview of the Peristaltic Pumping Principle in Living Nature, Engineering, and Biomimetics Open
This synopsis presents the state‐of‐the‐art of peristaltic pump systems in biomimetics and living nature, and allows for a comparison by highlighting the differences in structure and function, as well as advantages and drawbacks for techni…
View article: Comparing structure and biomechanics of extant Carica papaya and Ochroma pyramidale stems allows re-evaluating the functional morphology of the fossil ‘seed fern’ Lyginopteris oldhamia
Comparing structure and biomechanics of extant Carica papaya and Ochroma pyramidale stems allows re-evaluating the functional morphology of the fossil ‘seed fern’ Lyginopteris oldhamia Open
This study aims at assessing the mechanical importance of the conspicuous sclerenchymatous 'Dictyoxylon' cortex of the extinct gymnosperm Lyginopteris oldhamia by comparing the latter to the extant angiosperms Carica papaya and Ochroma pyr…
View article: Branching morphology, vascular bundle arrangement and ontogenetic development in leaf insertion zones and ramifications of three arborescent Araliaceae species
Branching morphology, vascular bundle arrangement and ontogenetic development in leaf insertion zones and ramifications of three arborescent Araliaceae species Open
A conspicuous ‘finger-like’ branching morphology is described for three arborescent Araliaceae species with a focus on the three-dimensional vascular bundle arrangement in leaf insertion and stem–branch attachment regions during ontogeneti…
View article: Biomechanics of selected arborescent and shrubby monocotyledons
Biomechanics of selected arborescent and shrubby monocotyledons Open
Main aims of the study are a deepened understanding of the mechanically relevant (ultra-)structures and the mechanical behaviour of various arborescent and shrubby monocotyledons and obtaining the structure–function relationships of differ…
View article: Magnetic resonance imaging reveals functional anatomy and biomechanics of a living dragon tree
Magnetic resonance imaging reveals functional anatomy and biomechanics of a living dragon tree Open
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to gain in vivo insight into load-induced displacements of inner plant tissues making a non-invasive and non-destructive stress and strain analysis possible. The central aim of this study was the i…
View article: Sporangium Exposure and Spore Release in the Peruvian Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum peruvianum, Pteridaceae)
Sporangium Exposure and Spore Release in the Peruvian Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum peruvianum, Pteridaceae) Open
We investigated the different processes involved in spore liberation in the polypod fern Adiantum peruvianum (Pteridaceae). Sporangia are being produced on the undersides of so-called false indusia, which are situated at the abaxial surfac…
View article: Fastest predators in the plant kingdom: functional morphology and biomechanics of suction traps found in the largest genus of carnivorous plants
Fastest predators in the plant kingdom: functional morphology and biomechanics of suction traps found in the largest genus of carnivorous plants Open
Understanding the physics of plant movements, which describe the interplay between plant architecture, movement speed and actuation principles, is essential for the comprehension of important processes like plant morphogenesis. Recent inve…