A Feel for Feline Innovation

A Feel for Feline Innovation A Feel for Feline Innovation A Feel for Feline InnovationAn inventive moment can happen anywherbeibeie. At work. Out on a walk. Even, playing with a cat. Alexis Noel had been spending time with a family feline, Murphy, which led to her breakthrough.The cat jumped on me and started licking a microfiber blanket, says Alexis Noel, a Georgia Tech Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering. It got its tongue stuck and couldnt get its tongue away from it. I got the blanket off the tongue and wondered why it happened. Conventional wisdom is a cats tongue is like sandpaper, its rough.This led her into the cat tongue research project, which teamed her with David Hu, her research advisor.Examining cat tongue samples, Noel employed macro photography and 3D scans. I saw tiny little hooks kind of made out of cat claws, she explains. The tongue is like VELCRO. It can grab on to loops and tangles but, its interesting, since tiny hooks embedded in soft tissue can tease ap art knots like a hairbrush. Its an interaction of small spines. This may have many applications.A close-up of a cat tongue. Image Alexis Noel / Georgia TechShe actually ended up creating what, as far as she knows, is the worlds first 3D printed cat tongue mimic. I thought it would be helpful to have this to test, she says. Using 3D printing techniques including stereolithography and silicon molding, the mimic that was printed was actually four times the size of a cat tongue. In the brde couple of weeks, we even got a sample of a tiger tongue and found the spines on the surface of the tongue are the exact same size as a house cat. We found why they are the same size this tongue exerts exactly the same pressure on its fur as a house cat because it doesnt want to damage its skin when grooming itself. For stereolithography, she used the Formlabs desktop machine, which created the high-resolution spines, with resolution down to 30 microns.The next step before publishing this work, she sa ys, focuses on puncture forces. The spines on the tongue may look a lot like cat claws and end at a peak but spines on the tongue are blunted, she says. We believe this is so it doesnt puncture its skin when grooming its own fur but retains shape to get meat and fat off of bones. We will be going through some things to see if we can prove this puncture theory relationship.Among possibilities for applications? Novel wound cleaning devices for the medical field, she says. Cats are known for cleaning their own wounds and their saliva is an antiseptic, Noel says. Maybe the findings could help with the ridding of dirt from wounds, maybe for soft robotic medical applications. When you think of soft robots, you may think of robotic dragonflies or soft, squishy jellyfish, but also think about the manufacturing side of robotics. How do you grab things softly so you dont crush it? A great application could be using these malleable spines to grab rust surfaces, like grabbing rocks in space. Ma ybe in the future you could go into meteorite mining and grab onto as much surface as possible.Regardless, she hopes this is the tip of the iceberg of her cat work. We know so much about cats and it just reminds you how resourceful they are, she says. We know cats jump from high heights, twist their body and land on their feet. They have impeccable hearing and their whiskers can detect the slightest forces in the surrounding area. Id like to be a part of finding out more about how the cat form has evolved over time to become the super cleaner or super hunter. Youd have to think they could teach us a great deal.Eric Butterman is an independent writer. For Further Discussion Id like to be a part of finding out more about how the cat form has evolved over time to become the super cleaner or super hunter.Alexis Noel, Georgia Tech University

3 Ways to Stay Focused on Your Goals

3 Ways to Stay Focused on Yur Goals 3 Ways to Stay Focused on Your Goals Many of us find it difficult to stay focused on our goals. Perhaps our disposition toward people-pleasing gets in the way of what we want, or our inability to say no crowds our personal goals out of the picture.Here are three things you can start doing right now that willhelp you stay focused, no matter what else is going on1. Say No More OftenOn your way to an event but not quite sure whyyouregoing? Agreed to help the neighbor pack for her big move even though you have your own to-do list? If these situations sound familiar, youre probably someone who has trouble saying no.Overbooking yourself usually leaves you feeling tired and resentful. Worst of all, it means youve let other peoples plans become more important than your own. Of course, we all need to compromise sometimes, but once youlearn to say no,youll have more time to focus on what truly matters to you.Give yourself permission to declinerequests.Youl l feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.2. PrioritizeLearn to do only what is essential and youll never have a busy-but-unproductive day again.In his book, Essentialism, Greg McKeown explains how to apply the philosophy of essentialism to life. In short, its not about getting everything done, but about getting the right things done. Mastering essentialism will help you focus on what really needs to be done while eliminating the time-wasters that keep you from your goals.3. MeditateDont worry if sitting cross-legged in a quiet space and turning inward isnt your thing. You can meditate in all sorts of ways - while taking a walk outside, running on the treadmill, swimming laps, knitting a scarf, etc. You can even try creating a vision board to serve as a daily reminder of your goals and why they matterThe important thing here is that you dedicate some time everyday to thinking about your goals. Were all surrounded by noise all the time. Taking time to center yourself a nd recalibrate is critical to remaining focused and energized about achieving your goals.A version of this article originally appeared on theAtrium Staffing blog.Michele Mavi isAtrium Staffings resident career expert.

3 Things You Gotta Love If You Work in Finance

3 Things You Gotta Love If You Work in Finance3 Things You Gotta Love If You Work in Finance1. MBA salaries are on the rise. (WSJ)2. You could be dating this actress. (NYM)3. Being able to say I told you so, as well as $15 billion richer. (Dealbook)