| 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 |