Join Leonardo author Pino Trogu for a discussion of his article "Giorgio Scarpa’s Model of a Sea Urchin Inspires New Instrumentation" featured in the April issue of Leonardo Journal. We will be producing this livestream on Facebook and Zoom for audience discussion and participation.
Giorgio Scarpa (1938–2012) was an Italian designer, artist and teacher who worked in bionics, topology and rotational geometry. This article describes Scarpa’s bionic model of “Aristotle’s lantern”—the mouth of the sea urchin. The technical literature on Echinoidea lacks a detailed study of its remarkable mouth mechanism. Scarpa’s model is the only known analysis and physical analogue of the mechanism. It is a striking example of geometrical analysis and craftsmanship, bridging science and art. Built in the early 1970s and described in 1985 in Modelli di Bionica, his model has inspired designs for a biopsy harvester and for a mini-rover to collect soil samples on Mars.
Save the date now with your RSVP here for reminders and updates.
Download the article for free, grab a coffee or a cocktail and join us.
24 April 1:00 PM (13:00) - San Francisco
25 April 8:00 AM - Auckland
24 April 9:00 PM (21:00) - London