If you are looking for a challenging assignment that combines bio-inspiration with actual animals, I have currently multiple projects available directed towards veterinary research. The projects are in collaboration with the Rotterdam Zoo and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University Utrecht. Projects are aimed at surgical interventions of different types of animals, including elephants, rhinos, birds, and horses. A selection of the projects is illustrated below:
- Suturing abdomen of larger animals
Suturing of the abdomen of larger animals is difficult and often results in ripping along the suture line due to the large force on the stitches. This ripping will in most cases lead to death of the animal. Since operations, such as caesarean sections, can be necessary at time to safe both the mother as well as the offspring, a solution should be found for this problem.
- Design of an stand-up aid for horses after surgery
When horses suffer a bone fracture, the bone needs to be surgically stabilised using screws and plates. In many cases this is done successfully. However, after the horse wakes up after surgery, they are often very tense and tend to panic, which can result in refracture of the bone. The goal of this project is to design a device that can help the horse to stand up safely after the surgery.
- Design of a bullet removal device in Elephants and Rhinos
In Africa, elephants and rhinos are often hunted for their tusks. Luckily, on some occasions, the elephants and rhinos are able to get away. However, they often sustain severe damage due to bullet wounds. The main challenge the veterinarians face is the removal of these bullets. These bullets are often very deep inside the animal and, therefore, difficult to reach. Furthermore, they often migrate through the body to deeper locations, potentially becoming life threatening. In this assignment, you will develop a bullet removal device for elephants and rhinos that can be used in the field.
- Design of a tusk extraction device for Elephants
When an elephant’s tusk breaks off, the living tissue inside the tusk will become exposed. If it is not possible to safe the tusk, the best option is to extract it to prevent further harm to the elephant. However, current methods for removing tusks are difficult to perform. Therefore, in this assignment you will develop a new type of instrument that allows for easy and fast task extraction.
- Design of a smart hatch for animals in Rotterdam Zoo (internship)
In Rotterdam Zoo, they would like to build a smart hatch system for their Wallabies. This system will allow them to keep track of which animal is where and also allows them to capture specific animals with minimal stress.
- Design of a tusk protection device for Elephants in Rotterdam Zoo (internship)
On some occasions, an elephant tusk might get damaged and a crack may form. On these occasions, veterinarians often place a metal ring around the tusk to protect the living tissue inside the tusk and prevent further damage. However, these rings are heavy and do not offer full protection. Therefore, in this assignment you will design a new type of tusk “ring”.
Contact: Aimée Sakes, a.sakes@tudelft.nl