Hermit
Crabs cannot grow their own shells, so they rely upon marine snails
to produce the shells they use to protect themselves. When they
grow out of the old shell, or find another that just suits their
fancy, they will move into a new one. It is our hope that they will
want to move into these shells that have been designed and rapid-prototyped
especially for them. We realize that it is entirely possible (maybe
even likely) that our designs will fail to meet their expectations,
given the longstanding evolutionary relationship they have with
the snail shells they currently use. We consider this to be a work
in progress, as with this medium of rapid prototyping, many trial
and error designs can be realized in a rapid, hyper-evolutive
process; allowing the hermit crabs themselves to be the ultimate
judges of what works. •
Go to interview in the Crab Street Journal about this project |