Thames & Kosmos 550047, Experiment Manual, Page: 3 / 56

Part
D2 8
is a
Useful
tool
.
You will find more information
about where and how to use
it on page 7 and
in the assembly instructions.
D28
Some spare parts are
included, so there may
be unused parts at the
end of assembly.
Tip
Modern wind turbines use generators t
o produce electricity.
The blades of the wind turbine are set i
n motion by the wind and drive the generator. This principle h
as been used in windmills for centuries. The only d
ifference is that the
windmills do not drive electric generato
rs, but rather millstones, which turn grain into flou
r. The basic mode of operation was the same then as now: th
e blades extract part
of the energy contained in the wind and c
onvert it into rotational energy. In this way, wind ener
gy is converted to do work that humans need.
strandbeests —
the real life role models of the windBots
Dutch artist Theo Jansen is the inventor a
nd
designer of the Strandbeests, which is D
utch for beach animals. These are complex art o
bjects that can walk or crawl. Their movement mak
es the Strandbeests look almost like living crea
tures. They are usually driven by wind or compre
ssed air.
Some of these beach animals are as big a
s a horse, others are enormous and larger than a h
ouse!
Jansen has copied a lot from nature in t
he development of the Strandbeests. He s
ees his art
objects as creatures that die, evolve, and e
ven
reproduce — for example, by having othe
r people replicate his creations or print out minia
ture versions using a 3D printer.
The Strandbeests have been around sinc
e 1990, and Jansen continues to develop them. H
e has divided the development into 12 period o
f evolution
— similar to dinosaurs.
When the wind is blowing strongly, you c
an clearly feel that there is a lot of energy in the wind. In a storm, y
ou can barely keep both feet on the ground! This immense power c
an be converted to power cars and other vehicles. Wind turbines can g
enerate electricity, which in
turn can be used to charge electric cars
. Electricity can also be used to produce hydrogen, which can power fu
el cell cars. These two methods work very well to power cars i
n cities, which can reduce
urban air pollution. Because these m
ethods use the wind — instead
of fossil fuels — to generate energy th
ey are much more climate-friendly.
energy from
Wind Power
Learning From Nature
Humans aren’t the only ones who have b
een using the wind
for transportation — plants and anima
ls have used wind power to get around for millions of yea
rs.
Think of birds that can glide through t
he air for hours on end, barely flapping their wings to stay i
n flight. They’re not
the only ones! Some spiders engage in a p
rocess called ballooning, in which they use the wind and earth’s e
lectric fields to travel many miles.
Plants and fungi have also developed s
ophisticated ways to reproduce and scatter their seeds with the wind. T
his principle is called
anemochory, and the seeds of the p
lants are called flying seeds or
winged seeds. Particularly well known a
re the seeds of the dandelion, and the seeds of the maple tree. Rarer, b
ut quite impressive
are the flying seeds of Alsomitra macro
carpa, a tropical cucumber plant. Its seeds look like sm
all gliders, with a wingspan reaching up to 14 cm (5.5 i
nches). These marvels
of nature have inspired aviation pio
neers in their inventions
of airplanes and other flying machines f
or humans.
Alsomitra
macrocarpa
Dandelion
Using wind energy for transpor
tation
Continued on the next page
Millstone
Check It Out
?
!
CHECK IT OUT
52
1
WindBots
Kit Contents .....................................
Inside front cover
Table of Contents ........................................................
1
Safety Information .......................................................
2
Important Information ................................................
3
ASSEMBLY STARTS ON PAGE 4
Introducing the WindBots .......................................
4
Assembly Tips ...........................................................
6
Assembling the Wind Machine ...............................
8
Assembling the Modules .........................................
12
Check It Out: Locomotion with Wind Power ........
21
Assembling the Surf Bot .........................................
23
Assembling the Walker Bot .....................................
26
Assembling the Drill Dozer ...................................
29
Assembling the Quadruped ....................................
33
Assembling the Flying Machine .............................
37
Assembling the Big Wheel Tricycle .......................
45
Check It Out: Harnessing Nature’s Power ............
52
Tip
Additional information
can be found in the
check it out
sections on
pages
21 and 52.
1
CONTENTS
No. Description Quantity Part No.
P6 Gear, gray 1 725771
P7 Gear, yellow 1 725771
P8 Hexagonal axle, short 1 725771
P9 Hexagonal axle, medium 1 725771
P10 Hexagonal axle, long 4 725771
P11 Round axle 4 725771
P12 Foam pad 1 725774
P13 Fan blade 2 725775
P14 Oil packet 1 550047-A
P15 Foam sticker sheet 1 725772