Conclusion

Hello readers!

We're finally at the end of Week 14! This will be our last blog post

After this 14 weeks, we realized that we have done very critical thinking on mimicking the frog skin. Start from adopting a life until we come out with an idea, these are all about critical thinking and researching skills by observing the adopted life, Jr. Roger.

In the beginning when we deciding what to adopt, we actually done a lots of research on different types of animals and plants such as fish and cactus. But at last, we decided to adopt Roger because we foresee a big potential in biomimicry of frog.

Then, we started our research and experiment on Roger, and finally, we come out with an idea of air purifier. This is because frogs have an ability to purify dirty water to clean water through their skin. In the middle of this design process, we actually found that there are a lots of things are biomimicry from the frog. For example, swimming style and swimming paddle.

Our proposed idea on the air purifier design idea will gives a huge impact to the industry application. This is because this idea is able to reduce the air pollution on Earth. Here's one last look on Jr. Roger at Week 14! He has grown so much bigger now!

We do hope you guys have gained much knowledge and information through our blog. We wanna thank all our readers who had been following all our updates for the past 12 weeks. Truly grateful. 

Till then, signing off,

She-Reen and Huann Yu

Reflection

Hello readers,

In this post, we will be reflecting on the journey throughout adopting Jr. Roger as our pet ans what has it inspired us for the past 12 weeks.

In the beginning when we adopted Roger, the shop keeper said that we should change his water once a day. Thus, we decided to do an experiment on him, which is not changing his habitat water for 2 weeks. This showed a clear result that Roger is still able to grow, live and adapt in an unfavourable environment. With this result, we believe that this is closely related to function of the frog's skin which allows roger to filter the unwanted substances from entering its body. The findings had led us to study the structure of frog skin which we found that only water, carbon dioxide and oxygen can passes through the frog skin because of the alveoli that are located at the surface of the skin.

As we know, alveoli is also located in human's lungs. It is used to purify and filter the air that we inhaled for the blood to get oxygen. This is also the reason that human will not get blood cancer but lungs cancer when that always inhale dirty gases.

With these findings, we came out with an idea of air purifier from mimicking the frog's skin.

Previously, one of our groupmates, She-Reen and her group of friends had designed an air purifier in her previous project. In their design, HEPA filter was used to filter particulate matters. The idea of mimicking the structure of the epithelium cell of the frog skin will allow gaseous exchange and filtration to happen naturally with sustainability. If the invention is successful, the newly invented filter based on the frog's skin can replace the HEPA filters used in the air purifiers in the market.

Components and Rationale of the Proposed Design - Air Purifier

Hello Readers!

From our previous post, we have mentioned that the we see potential of mimicking the frog's skin into a component of an air purifier. One of the reason we find this feasible was because the skin of the frog is not only used for respiration (gaseous exchange), but at the same time, filtering the unwanted particulate matters and hazardous gaseous from the surrounding. 

Surprisingly, this idea can be incorporated to one of the group mate's previous project in the Design and Innovation module where an Air Purifier known as de-Hazer was innovated to purify the air in an enclosed area during hazy season by removing the hazardous components in haze without consuming electricity. 

Drawings of de-Hazer in Solidworks done by Toh Khai Liang

de-Hazer is designed to fit on top of a ceiling fan, it can be clamped on the rod of ceiling fan and thus sit on the triangular cap of the ceiling fan. As most of the current air purifiers in the market operates with an external source of electricity, de-Hazer is designed to maximize the usage of a normal ceiling fan by taking advantage of the air circulation generated by a ceiling fan for an enclosed system. The integration of the design allows the air cleanser to concentrate the air into the device without needing a fan on its own and hence minimizing cost of production.

Drawings of de-Hazer in Solidworks done by Toh Khai Liang

When a ceiling fan turns in a counter clock wise direction, the concentrated room air on the top of the room is forced to flow down to the bottom surface of the room. The air is then recirculated back upwards from the side to the top of the room. As the surrounding air circulates along with the turning blades before being force to flow downwards, the air cleanser attached on the ceiling fan will capture and purify the concentrated air.

de-Hazer is designed to a cylindrical perfection to be clamped onto the rod on top of a ceiling fan. The air will flow from the top flat surface and exit after purification at the bottom lower surface of the device. The filters in the device are arranged perpendicularly to the air flow in order increase the surface area of filtration and efficiency of the purifier.

There are two main components in this air purifier:

1. The HEPA filter which is used to trap and remove particulate matters from haze

High-efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter
Image source: http://www.ksairfilter.com/mini/

2. Potassium permanganate impregnated with activated alumina to adsorb sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, and nitrogen sulphides from haze.

Potassium permanganate impregnated with activated alumina
Image source: http://www.environmental-expert.com/products/proguard-300-removes-twice-as-much-toxic-corrosive-and-odorous-gases-from-air-streams-as-our-proguar-289915

Based on the components of the air purifier, we foresee a great potential of replacing the HEPA filter with filters made by mimicking the frog's skin. From our previous post regarding the first layer of skin, it is known that epithelium acts as a medium for gaseous exchange and filtration for frog's respiratory system. By studying the anatomy and the structure of the skin cell, discovery can be made on the effectiveness of the skin in filtering particulate matters and gaseous before entering the frog's body.

The epithelium skin of frog

Image source: http://www.pollywogsworldoffrogs.com/

If the filter invented from mimicking the frog skin is tested to be effective, hence this filter will not only be used in de-Hazer, but can be used in many other air purifiers in the market which are using HEPA filters to purify the surrounding air. 

Drawing of "Filter" slotted into de-Hazer drawn by Toh Khai Liang

Industry Application Suggestion

Hello readers!

This week, we are going to talk about our idea of an industrial application using our Jr.Roger for inspiration. As we said earlier, we know that frogs are able to:
1. Breath through their skin.
2. Absorb water through their skin.

With these 2 abilities of their skin, we know that H2O, CO2 and O2 are able to pass through the frog skin. To make sure the carbon dioxide and oxygen are able to pass through the skin, it should be kept moist.

There are blood vessels near the surface of the skin and when the frog is underwater, oxygen will diffuses into the blood directly. But when the frog is not submerged in the water, it will breathes by a process called buccal pumping. This process is the breathing process similar to human, but the chest muscles are not involved in the respiration. Besides that, the frogs have no rids or diaphragm to help move air in and out.

Thus, the frogs will puff out their throat and draw air in through the nostrils, which in many species can ten be closed by valves. When the floor of the mouth is compressed, air is forced into the lungs.

Within this week, we have decided to propose an idea of a AIR PURIFIER

In the diagram above, it shows that the first layer of the frog skin is
stratified epithelium.

As we know, the functions of epithelium are:

1. secretion

2. propulsion of mucus by ciliary action

As we know, this is located at the trachea of our lungs. But, it also located at the first layer of the frog skin.

It is located at the frog skin is because it consists of alveoli. This part is where the gas exchange take place. 

Besides gas exchange, it is also a protective layer to the air-born pathogens and toxic gases. Thus, we can have a air purifier for every processes that will release toxic gas.

Stay tuned for the next post regarding the components of the air purifier! :D

Biomimecry of Frogs

Hello readers,

This week, we have done some researches on the previous bio-mimicry frogs.

First, we talk about the swim fin that is easily found in the market.

This type of swim fin 1 of the bio-mimicry of the frogs. Frogs have a very good ability to swim with a very high speed. This not only because the power back legs, but also because of the fin on their legs.

This swim fin is to help human able to swim under the water very efficiently. It is made by plastic or rubber blade. For some swim fin, they have a split along the center line of the paddle. This is because this center line will cause a suction force into the pedal after the swimmer kicked the water. Then when the swimmer lifted his / her leg, it will have a lift force to push the swimmer further.

Now, lets talk about the breaststroke, which is also a bio-mimicry from frogs. This is the frog's swimming technique.

For a beginner swimmers they will first learn the breaststroke. Steps of the breaststroke are shown as below:
1. Balance your body horizontally under the surface of the water.
2. Keep the hands straight on top of your head and your palms should closed together.
3. Close your legs together like frog.
4. Kick the water.
5. Close back your legs and spread your hand to the side until you touch your waist.
6. Return to the original post and repeat steps 4 and 5.

The video link of the breaststroke are shown below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4mV7rRBnE

Literature Reviews on Frogs

Hello Readers!

This week, we did some research on the natural features of a frog which makes it special and different from the other amphibians out there.

Before that, we shall update you with Roger's condition.

Roger is doing fine! :D

According to Biology Technology Resources, 

"The frog's skin is smooth and moist, fairly thin, and well supplied with blood vessels which branch into a fine network of thin-walled capillaries. Oxygen from the air or water, dissolves in the film of moisture over the skin, diffuses through the skin, through the walls of the blood capillaries and into the blood. Here it combines with the red pigment, haemoglobin, and is carried away in the circulation, back to the heart and then round the rest of the body. Excess carbon dioxide is eliminated from the blood in a similar way, diffusing out of the blood vessels, through the skin and into the atmosphere. The skin is effective for breathing on land or in water and is in use continuously."

Coming across this paragraph, we were very keen and interested to know more on the frog's respiratory system through its skin. We then wondered, what if we are able to mimic this smooth and moist skin of a frog, allowing human to also breathe naturally under the sea without needing an oxygen tank. Imagine if the mimicking is successful, divers will no longer need to carry the oxygen tanks, when they can just breathe naturally by just putting on a "layer" of breathing mechanism skin on their body. How cool will that be?

However, we do know it may not be as simple as it sounded. Many of the respiratory conditions have to be considered as humans and amphibians do not completely share the same respiratory methods. This had led us to research deeper on the frog's skin and the breathing mechanism behind it. 

According to Science Score,

"But frogs can also lose water though their skin very easily, which is why most of them need to stay near water. If they want to leave the water, they have to have special adaptations that let them do it. Some frogs feel very slimy if you touch them; that’s because their skin secretes a thick mucous to help stop water from escaping.Other frogs have different ways of keeping their water in. Tree frogs, for example, have thicker skins than most frogs. Toads have even thicker skins, which means they can spend much more time away from water."

According to Brown edu,

"While completely submerged all of the frog's respiration takes place through the skin. The skin is composed of thin membranous tissue that is quite permeable to water and contains a large network of blood vessels. The thin membranous skin is allows the respiratory gases to readily diffuse directly down their gradients between the blood vessels and the surroundings. When the frog is out of the water, mucus glands in the skin keep the frog moist, which helps absorb dissolved oxygen from the air.

A frog may also breathe much like a human, by taking air in through their nostrils and down into their lungs. The mechanism of taking air into the lungs is however sligthly different than in humans. Frogs do not have ribs nor a diaphragm, which in humans helps serve in expand the chest and thereby decreasing the pressure in the lungs allowing outside air to flow in."

From the readings, it is known that the semi permeable membranous tissue underneath the frog's skin allows the respiratory gases to diffuse down the gradients between the blood vessels and the surroundings. The research will now focus on the anatomy of the frog's membrane and breathing mechanism - how oxygen is extracted from the water molecules and diffuses into the capillary though the semi-permeable skin. 

Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned till next week! 

References:
http://www.biology-resources.com/frog.html
http://braininflator.com/frogs-breath/
http://blog.sciencescore.com/did-you-know-that-frogs-breathe-through-their-skin/
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Engineering/Courses/En123/MuscleExp/Frog%20Respiration.htm

Introducing Adopted Life (Jr. ROGER)

Hello Readers!

This week, we would like to introduce our life adoption,

Jr. ROGER

We are glad to welcome Roger into our group! As you can see, Roger (he) is a FROG. We first saw it in a aquarium shop, where the delicate and charming look on its face had us agreed to adopt it.

It has some general frog characteristics that all of us should know. For example:

1. Its back legs are longer than his front legs.

2. It has a very long tongue, 

3. It has a pair of big and round eyes

4. It has smooth and moist skin. 

As we all know, frogs are CARNIVORES, they eat meat. Small frogs usually eat insects, but larger frogs will eat mice, small snake, or even smaller frog. When they are hunting for their food, they will throw their sticky tongue and wrap their prey and swallow them down their throat without chewing. Thus, FROGs have NO teeth.

Besides that, frogs have a very good eyesight. They are able to see nearly all directions. They also have a very good hearing. But there is a very special ability of their eardrum. It is used to differentiate their gender.  If the eardrum is smaller than the eye, it is a female and vice versa. This is how we confirmed the gender of our Jr. Roger. It's a he!

Frogs are also very good in jumping and swimming. This is due to their strong and powerful back legs which allows them to jump up to 20 times of the body length. Furthermore, their back legs are also able to dig or burrow underground for hibernation.

This is important. Not all frogs can croak! Every frog will produce its own special sound like whistle, peep, grunt and rib-bit. 

And Did You Know?

Frogs DON'T drink water. They absorb water with their skin. 

That's about it! Hope you learned something about frogs this week! Stay tuned to our next post as we venture deeper into discovering the natural potentials of Roger in human life!