Intro and Theory
In my research and design, I need to study the behaviors of insects, particularly bees and ants. There are many methods for learning about the actions and procedures of these other forms of life. You can read books and journals, analyze video footage, and even perform experiments. These are all terrific methods, and have their own particular strengths and weaknesses, but one factor that I felt was missing, was the ability to understand the creatures within their own timescale.
Often we build mental models of the interactions whose descriptions elide certain aspects of the total process. For instance, we could say that, given a certain pheromone, a colony of ants will do X, but often these descriptions skim over the tiny interactions which add up to the gestalt behavior, and which may take really long periods of time.
Additionally, an important part of deeply understanding these actions comes from being immersed in their behaviors. More immersive methods of biological study could help humans analyze the subjects' activities consciously and subconsciously. If one could actually live directly with the ants for an extended period of time, I believe that new understandings would arrive that would not normally be accessible through even very intense short term analysis.
For this reason I have designed the very first stage of what I am dubbing the "Arm-y" Ant farm**. Basically it is an Ant-farm that you can wear DIRECTLY on your arm. The hairs on your arm give you constant feedback as to the minute actions of your colony and provide a good anti-gravity substrate for your friends to climb around in.
Also it's fun! and weird!
(NOTE** I would not recommend actually putting army ants into the device (or any other painful ant). It's just a corny pun people!)
In my research and design, I need to study the behaviors of insects, particularly bees and ants. There are many methods for learning about the actions and procedures of these other forms of life. You can read books and journals, analyze video footage, and even perform experiments. These are all terrific methods, and have their own particular strengths and weaknesses, but one factor that I felt was missing, was the ability to understand the creatures within their own timescale.
Often we build mental models of the interactions whose descriptions elide certain aspects of the total process. For instance, we could say that, given a certain pheromone, a colony of ants will do X, but often these descriptions skim over the tiny interactions which add up to the gestalt behavior, and which may take really long periods of time.
Additionally, an important part of deeply understanding these actions comes from being immersed in their behaviors. More immersive methods of biological study could help humans analyze the subjects' activities consciously and subconsciously. If one could actually live directly with the ants for an extended period of time, I believe that new understandings would arrive that would not normally be accessible through even very intense short term analysis.
For this reason I have designed the very first stage of what I am dubbing the "Arm-y" Ant farm**. Basically it is an Ant-farm that you can wear DIRECTLY on your arm. The hairs on your arm give you constant feedback as to the minute actions of your colony and provide a good anti-gravity substrate for your friends to climb around in.
Also it's fun! and weird!
(NOTE** I would not recommend actually putting army ants into the device (or any other painful ant). It's just a corny pun people!)
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This was one of those tubes that you get from a drive up bank and accidentally forget to give it back. But you don't need to steal one, even on accident! Here is a place you can buy your own http://www.banktubesdirect.com/ (yeah that's seriously the URL!)
In regards to what the ant-activists are saying, I don't think it's a big deal. It's still a fun, offbeat idea. You seem like someone that knows enough about ants to keep them safe. Plus, it's not like it's a permanent home for them. Worst case scenario, about ten ants get lost on your arm for a day, then are returned home. Well, on second thought, worst case scenario would actually be you encounter some sort of sci-fi radiation and you become an ant-human hybrid mutant. Then the government hunts you down and turns you into a super weapon of some sort and you are forced to use your superhuman ant powers (tough exoskeleton; ability to lift 50 times your own weight, etc.) to destroy entire armies against your will. But whatever, you get the idea.
I'm currently working on the " Ants in your pants " version.
I'd love to have a go at making something like this, though probably without the skin contact for easy removal/putting on, and distinctly more steampunk-y, and without real ants for the reasons that rmitchell has stated below. Having living ones is cool and all, but killing them not so much. Brings to mind some interesting ideas about how different, eithically, this kind of thing really is from fur, or leather, when used in jewelery etc, but I'm too tired to make a meaningful interesting point about that right now.
It is unclear what benefit the wearable arm death cage provides over a magnifying glass, in terms of understanding normal any behaviors..
Ants are colony creatures, Take them away from their colony, sever their paths home and what exactly are you studying?
I am sorry if you find the cage hot and sweaty and uncomfortable, you should be able to watch the ants searching hopelessly for home in more comfort.
I think you're crazy-creative, but this would make me itch a month after I took it off. Name an ant after me.
J.K.
Around here, we have biting and infecting fire ants, so the idea of ants crawling on my arm is a horror to me. More power to you, with your benign crawlers!
Thanks
If you do, I'll give you a dollar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZSqx0PJ8XU&feature=related
and you're going to want to play this one while the other one is going.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu0NpOXVGLw&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Enjoy