Dr. Neil Balmforth
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Sand ripples, snails and more:
Some other problems I have worked on include the dynamics of aeolian
sand ripples, fluid and granular washboard patterns,
and lubrication theory applied to the locomotion of snails
and the rocking and rolling of a magic trick (the snailball).
Details of the robotic version of the theoretical snails can be found on the webpage of Peko Hosoi.
Click to enlarge
Sand ripples
(photograph by Antonello Provenzale)
(photograph by Antonello Provenzale)
Waves on a snail's foot
(evident are the contraction waves propagating forwards on the central portion of the snail's foot)
(evident are the contraction waves propagating forwards on the central portion of the snail's foot)
The snailball magic trick
(a metal shell filled with a viscous fluid and a heavy sphere)
(a metal shell filled with a viscous fluid and a heavy sphere)