- 5 weeks ago
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00This is a strand-based. It's a walking skeleton that's powered only by the wind,
00:05created by Dutch inventor Theo Janssen. There are no motors and no electronics,
00:11and they are made of the weirdest materials. Tape and glue and snot and screws and gets
00:17that force to transfer is really thrilling to me. I mean, now it's on The Simpsons.
00:22The strand beast. Is this science or garbage? Dutch art.
00:29But how do they actually work? And why did he build them?
00:34Well, it all started 34 years ago.
00:36I promised myself to spend one year on the tubes. That was in 1990.
00:43That got totally out of hand. A little.
00:58The Simpsons
01:11Now, Janssen's thinking bigger.
01:29I hope that these animals can survive all the circumstances here on the beach,
01:33like the storms and the water and the sand.
01:36Hopefully at the end of my life, it's that far and that they can live on their own.
01:41That's the idea. A new specimen on Earth.
01:45But to achieve this goal, the base had to overcome six major challenges.
01:50The first is that they had to support their own weight.
01:53In the beginning, I had lots of trouble with the connections, the joints.
01:57I used sellotape to connect them.
02:01And it all broke, you know.
02:02As a result, all the base could do was lie on its back and move its legs a little.
02:07Yeah, I can imagine the first thing I would do is stop using tape.
02:11Like, tape is not a long-term solution.
02:13Right. Yeah, no, it was very short-term.
02:15You can look at some of the pictures.
02:16It's just like, you see some tubes, but you mostly see tape everywhere trying to hold it together.
02:22And so he too realizes this very quickly.
02:25So the first fix to this challenge is like using zip ties.
02:29Much more elegant, much more clean, way, way stronger.
02:33Janssen restricted himself to only a few basic materials.
02:38Still, five more hurdles remained.
02:41The next of which was getting the base to walk smoothly.
02:44To do this, Janssen realized that the path traced out by their foot as it moves is extremely important.
02:49Because if that's wonky and all over the place, the base will likely lose its balance.
02:55But if instead it traces out a mostly flat surface along the bottom,
02:59well, then the base could keep its balance and walk properly.
03:03Now, you can get drastically different footpaths by changing the proportions of these tubes and where they're placed.
03:09Some footpaths might be wonky, others a bit flat, or just about anything in between.
03:15But how do you find the right one?
03:16That's what Janssen wanted to find out.
03:19So in 1990, he wrote a computer program that could compute the footpath for any given combination of proportions.
03:27Now, you might think, just have the computer go over trillions of possible options and then pick the best one.
03:32But that doesn't work.
03:34So, Janssen ran a simulation that started with 1,500 different combinations of proportions, resulting in 1,500 different footpaths.
03:54Now, none of these curves had a great flat surface at the bottom, but some were slightly more flat than others.
04:02Those combinations would then reproduce and multiply with slight changes into 1,500 new combinations.
04:08And this evolutionary process went on for months, day and night, until by the end of it, these 13 holy numbers came out.
04:17They describe the proportions and placements of all tubes, so that when you put them all together and start rotating the crankshaft right here, they give you this footpath.
04:29This is the path that just about every strand-based has traced out for over 30 years.
04:36If you then connect different legs together, where each leg is out of phase of the others by 120 degrees, then you get this continuous, smooth walk.
04:46And those 13 holy numbers?
04:48Well, I guess you could see that as the genetic code of the strand-baseds.
04:52And the reason you offset them by 120 degrees is so that there's always feet that are in contact with the ground, which gives you this smooth right.
05:01And getting this right is important.
05:03In 2016, my friend and original Mythbuster, Adam Savage, built his own pedal-powered stron-based.
05:09I found the movement of his robot so compelling because it felt like looking at a different kind of nature.
05:16There's a tremendous amount of force on the axle, and that he builds all this stuff with, like, tape and glue and snot and screws and gets that force to transfer is really thrilling to me.
05:28To be honest, when I built one at the Exploratorium in their parking lot over three days, and for two days, I was getting it wrong.
05:36Adam tried all kinds of fixes to get it to walk, but without success.
05:40But I remember building the strand-baseds and hearing this guy talking about something I was getting wrong, and I'm tuning him out, tuning him out, tuning him out.
05:47And then at four o'clock between days two and three, four o'clock in the morning, I woke up and I was like, oh, that guy's right.
05:56And he saw it on the invitation to the build.
06:00He saw that I had missed, in my translation of a drawing, I had missed one of the linkages, and that I had this length of the center triangle linkage off, and I needed to push it out.
06:12And it was like night and day.
06:14I came in, fixed that thing, cut all the way up the middle of this metal bod, extended everything by an inch, and all of a sudden it just walked.
06:21It was like, when you get it right, that thing just moves.
06:25Ah, yes, yes!
06:27Woo!
06:27Woo!
06:27Woo!
06:27Woo!
06:28Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
06:30Did you ever give that guy a heads up and be like, hey, yeah.
06:34I did, but not till the end of the day.
06:36Okay.
06:36I didn't want to give him the satisfaction while I was still working.
06:40Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
06:44But Adam's based lived in an exhibition.
06:51Janssen's based, on the other hand, spend the entire summer on the beach, where they're exposed to the elements.
06:57So all the remaining hurdles are about surviving and conquering their natural habitat.
07:02One major challenge is dealing with sand.
07:05And the sand is very fluffy, so it's very easy for them to get stuck, especially if it's a stick.
07:10It would just bury itself in and then it cannot move, so it can't survive.
07:15To prevent this from happening, the base's evolved feet specifically adapted to the beach.
07:21What you can immediately see is that it's not just a stick that's poking into the ground.
07:26Instead, you've got this large sort of surface area.
07:28Then it's much easier for it to stay on top of the sand.
07:33But they also fulfill a less obvious function.
07:36You've got these wires here, and what this does, together with the larger surface area,
07:41is it provides a lot more contact time where the foot is basically in touch with the ground.
07:48So when this foot is in touch with the ground, it can get taken over by another and taken over by another.
07:54And as a result, you get this very smooth ride, which is what you're looking for,
07:58to save the structure of the strand base and not put too much pressure on it.
08:03Because I built one with tennis shoes.
08:06Theo explained to me that having a couple of inches of play
08:10in the linkage between the final ankle and the tennis shoe was mission critical
08:16to allow that foot to stay in place while the linkage got the other foot up and ready to drop.
08:23And that's apparently how our walking works is, you know, it's not a straight like one, two, three,
08:31like a robot. There is this swing.
08:33But the bases aren't always walking.
08:35I mean, sometimes they're tied up in the same place for days or weeks.
08:39And then sand poses another major threat.
08:42If you leave a structure like this on the beach, you come back after three weeks
08:46and it does be covered with sand.
08:49To avoid that, I thought maybe if they just lift up a little bit,
08:53you send those under there and they're not that buried.
08:56This is how flying strand bases evolved.
09:00But the base also faced more violent threats, like storms.
09:04So how can they increase their odds of survival during these times?
09:09Well, for regular animals, it's typically easier to survive harsh conditions by banding together.
09:15And the same holds true for strand bases.
09:17And the idea behind this animal was that they would survive the storm maybe better
09:25holding each other.
09:25Because if you see an individual, like over there, if you put it on the beach,
09:30it blows over very easy.
09:32So as an individual, they wouldn't survive.
09:35But as a group holding each other, they are stronger in strong winds.
09:41This also allows for a different type of strand bases.
09:45One that can be pulled.
09:46And the big idea is actually that this would be pulled by the other strand bases.
09:51Now I asked Teo if I can pull it and he said yes.
09:55So we can grab it right here.
09:58There are some hand markings.
10:00And then now I should be the motor and this crawler should come behind me.
10:04So let's see.
10:06Oh man, this is cool.
10:08This is very cool.
10:10Walking a strand base up a Dutch beach.
10:15What an epic job.
10:16Strand bases are in a never-ending battle against the elements.
10:21But they can help each other by working together.
10:24Not too long ago, I was in an endless battle myself with spam callers.
10:29And fortunately for me, today's sponsor Incogni is helping me in this fight.
10:33See, there are data brokers out there that collect all kinds of data on you,
10:37like your name, phone number, email address, and even your social security number.
10:42And then they sell all of this information on the open market.
10:46And that's why you can get spam calls and emails from people that you've
10:50never even given your information to.
10:52Well, Incogni fights the data brokers.
10:55You just give them permission and then they'll figure out who has your data,
10:59which laws apply, and then send each broker a letter with all the correct
11:03legal terms requesting that your information be removed.
11:06To see just how bad the problem is, here's the work Incogni has done for me so far.
11:12Back in September, they had filed 192 requests.
11:15Now they've filed 260, which in total has saved me over 160 hours of work.
11:22So to try Incogni and fight the data brokers, visit incogni.com slash Veritasium.
11:27You can click the link in the description or scan this QR code.
11:31And when you do, make sure to use the code Veritasium to get 60% off your annual subscription.
11:36So head over to incogni.com slash Veritasium to get started.
11:40I want to thank Incogni for sponsoring this part of the video.
11:43And now back to Strandbests.
11:45But if too much wind is a problem, too little is as well.
11:50So right now you can actually see one of the current fatal flaws of the Strandbests.
11:54They walk when there's wind, but as soon as the wind dies down, the animal basically dies down as well.
12:01And so this is one of the challenges that Theo is actually trying to solve right now.
12:05Ah, there it goes again.
12:07This is similar to a challenge that life too has faced.
12:11See, you can't always rely on the currents of the wind or water to take you where you need to go.
12:16So what you want is to stock up on energy when it's plentiful and then use it later when you need it.
12:22So you need two things. A way to store energy and muscles that can use this stored energy.
12:31Now, to collect energy, you've got this sail, which is moved by the wind.
12:35And as it moves, it turns this crankshaft, which then pushes this piston here,
12:40and it can store pressurized air in this plastic bottle.
12:44Just like a bicycle pop.
12:46Do you know sort of what pressures it can go up to?
12:48It went up to five yesterday, so quite a pressure.
12:53Wow.
12:53They explode when there are 10 bars here.
12:56Well, once I had a bottle and there was a piston in there,
13:01and it flew just next to my ear through the window on the back.
13:06So it broke the window.
13:08So that was quite a happening.
13:11Wow.
13:12Holy.
13:13That's lucky.
13:15That's a close call.
13:19So now that you have a way to store energy, you just need a way to use it.
13:25And if you connect the pressure with a pump like this, this jumps out.
13:30So you have a sort of muscle.
13:33A muscle is nothing but an object which becomes longer or shorter on commands.
13:41So we have pulling muscles, and the strambists still have pushing muscles.
13:48This has allowed some strambists to crawl slightly, others to walk by pushing themselves along,
13:54and one to wag its tails.
13:57One thing you might notice is that with each challenge, the strambists become more and more
14:03like real animals. It's as if their process is mimicking life and following a similar evolutionary
14:10pattern. And in a way, this is true. Because they have to overcome many of the same challenges that
14:16animals have had to. And as life evolved, it became more and more aware of its surroundings.
14:22And in at least one case, it became conscious and self-aware.
14:27But right now, there is still one big challenge the base have to overcome.
14:32Because they are blind and deaf, they don't hear where the sea is.
14:36So imagine that you're blind and deaf, you can only feel around somehow.
14:40So one of the challenges that the strambists run into is that they're walking along the water.
14:46And if they accidentally go in the wrong direction, because they are being carried by the wind,
14:50then they could end up in the water. And that would be disastrous.
14:54So to fix that, Theo has been working on a system that can actually sense
14:59when it's touching the water. And then hopefully, with a connection of brain cells and muscles,
15:05it can then course correct to go away from the water back onto the beach.
15:10And of course, it's important to know that you're close to the sea, right?
15:14That's why I have a water filler here. Well, great. Can you hold it here?
15:19It goes over the ground about this height and it sucks in air all the time.
15:25And as soon as it comes into the sea, it swallows the water and feels the resistance of the water.
15:33It still doesn't work. Well, I must regret. Oh, now it's working.
15:39I'm so happy.
15:46But those senses are only useful if you can process those inputs, make a decision on what to do,
15:51and then issue that to your muscles. Like, when you walk into the water, you should be able to use
15:56your muscles to correct course. So what you need is a nervous system — a sort of brain, if you will.
16:04This is a nerve cell. If I take the top off and if I blow air in here,
16:13the air goes in here and comes out of here.
16:16So this is a connection. But if I push in this piston here, it's blocked.
16:20So in fact, what you see here is only a kraantje, only a valve. Open, close, right?
16:29Now I'm going to operate the kraantje with air.
16:37So if I blow air in here, this closes and no air comes out of here.
16:42If you see this as the output and this is the input, the output is opposite from the input.
16:53In other words, you can switch zeros and ones just like in a computer.
16:58So what you see here is the beginning of the brain of the strand beast.
17:14Do you have an idea how many brain cells you'd need to be able to
17:18make that work so the animal walks into the water and is able to turn around?
17:2220, something like that.
17:25Wow.
17:26Yeah. It's not very complicated.
17:28Yeah.
17:29The only thing is here on the beach, everything is complicated.
17:32Because sand creeps into everything. And so it's, yeah, it's not an easy thing.
17:40Over time, the bases also slowly degrade. They lose their color and parts might break off.
17:47On the scale of the global microplastic pollution problem, this effect is small,
17:52but it's certainly not helping.
17:54Fortunately, though, almost all parts of the strand base are reused,
17:59sold as fossils, or they end up in the graveyard.
18:04It's crazy to think that all of this has been made possible by the obsession of one guy,
18:08tinkering away year after year. But why did he do it?
18:13In the late 1980s, it was becoming clear that rising levels of carbon dioxide would warm the
18:19planet. And therefore, sea levels would rise by as much as 2.2 meters by 2100. And about a third of
18:27Janssen's home country, the Netherlands, lies below the current sea level. So rising sea levels pose a
18:34clear and present threat. So Janssen came up with a solution. He imagined this sort of walking
18:41skeleton on the beach. It would be powered by the wind, and it would kick up sand as it walked.
18:47Then this sand would blow to the dunes, heightening them, and hence protecting the Netherlands from the
18:53rising sea levels.
18:54He published this idea in the Volkskrant and called these skeletons
18:59Straunbeists.
19:00I don't speak Dutch. Straunbeist. Is it the beach beast? Like, what is that?
19:07Yeah, perfect. It's the beach beast.
19:09This is such a wacky idea.
19:11I know.
19:12Who comes up with that?
19:14Theo Janssen.
19:16What started as an article in a newspaper turned into much more, to the point where it's basically defined
19:21Janssen's life. So you might ask, is it still really about protecting the Netherlands?
19:26And the answer is, no, not really. It's about a much more human need that most of us have.
19:33The desire to be remembered after we're gone. I mean, it's ominous to imagine that we'll die
19:39and be forgotten someday. So a lot of us go to great lengths to avoid this by having kids,
19:45donating large sums of money to get a building named after you, or writing a book. These sorts of
19:51ideas. For Janssen, it's making Straunbeists. And when they fulfill their final goal of living
19:57independently on the beach, then he wrote, I can die with peace of mind.
20:04The only thing is, I don't have millions of years. That's the problem a bit. But maybe I can
20:11hypnotize some young people around here. There were some people who were really very, very nice,
20:17places. And they helped me a lot. So I might be able to factor with the Straunbeists virus.
20:27Because people all over the world are actually using this as well. So like,
20:31the virus is spreading in a way, or whatever you want to call it.
20:35Thousands of people all over the world are incorporating his 13 holy numbers into their own
20:40designs. From miniature Straunbeists, to ones you can ride, to a walking bicycle.
20:45The genetic code of the Bists is spreading all over the world.
20:50He wants everyone to build one of these. But I don't think he's got any ulterior motive,
20:55except that he likes seeing those things go. And when he makes them go, he has a set of rules and
21:01restrictions. But he doesn't place those same restrictions on anyone else. I think that's really
21:04beautiful. And who knows, perhaps one day they'll achieve that ultimate goal. A new species on earth.
21:11Roaming the world's beaches. Kicking up sand all along. And maybe even protecting some coastlines from
21:18rising sea levels.
21:22It's Straunbeists striding through the sand. Legs moving like a marching band.
21:29Straunbeists, Straunbeists, voices chant and never cease. Straunbeists, Straunbeists,
21:36marching to the rhythms beat.
Recommended
14:33
|
Up next
23:34
0:46
10:47
17:55
6:50
1:57
4:24
0:46
2:55
11:13
1:00
2:50
Be the first to comment