12,419 Days Of Strandbeest Evolution

Creation of the Beests 0s

• A Strandbeest is a walking skeleton powered only by the wind, created by Dutch inventor Theo Jansen, with no motors or electronics, and made of unusual materials such as tape, glue, and screws 10s.
• Theo Jansen started working on the Strandbeest 34 years ago, initially planning to spend one year on the project, but it eventually got out of hand 36s.
• Jansen's goal is for the Strandbeest to be able to survive on its own in various circumstances, such as storms, water, and sand, and to eventually become a new specimen on Earth 1m38s.
• To achieve this goal, the Strandbeest had to overcome six major challenges, the first being to support its own weight 1m46s.
• Initially, Jansen used Sellotape to connect the joints, but it broke, and the Strandbeest could only lie on its back and move its legs slightly 1m57s.
• Jansen realized that tape was not a long-term solution and replaced it with zip ties, which were more elegant, clean, and stronger 2m27s.
• Jansen restricted himself to using only a few basic materials to build the Strandbeest, but still had to overcome five more hurdles 2m35s.

Learning to walk 2m40s

• To achieve smooth walking in the Strandbeest, the path traced out by its foot as it moves is crucial, as a wonky path can cause the beest to lose its balance, while a mostly flat surface allows it to keep its balance and walk properly 2m48s.
• The proportions and placement of the tubes in the Strandbeest's legs can drastically change the footpath, and finding the right combination is essential 3m3s.
• In 1990, Jansen wrote a computer program to compute the footpath for any given combination of proportions, but instead of trying all possible options, he used an evolution method to find the best combination more efficiently 3m19s.
• Jansen ran a simulation starting with 1,500 different combinations of proportions, resulting in 1,500 different footpaths, and through an evolutionary process, the best combinations were selected and modified until the optimal proportions were found 3m46s.
• The optimal proportions, described as the "13 holy numbers," were discovered after months of simulation and describe the proportions and placements of all tubes in the Strandbeest's legs 4m14s.
• When the legs are connected and each leg is out of phase with the others by 120 degrees, the Strandbeest achieves a continuous smooth walk 4m38s.
• The 13 holy numbers can be seen as the genetic code of the Strandbeest, and the reason for offsetting the legs by 120 degrees is to ensure that there are always feet in contact with the ground, providing a smooth ride 4m48s.
• Adam Savage, a friend and original MythBuster, built his own pedal-powered Strandbeest in 2016, but initially struggled to get it to walk smoothly due to a missing linkage and incorrect length of the center triangle linkage 5m3s.
• After correcting the mistake, Adam's Strandbeest was able to walk smoothly, demonstrating the importance of getting the proportions and linkages right 6m19s.

Overcoming the sand 6m50s

• Jansen's Strandbeests spend the entire summer on the beach, where they face challenges in surviving and conquering their natural habitat, with one major challenge being dealing with sand 6m51s.
• The sand on the beach is very fluffy, making it easy for the Strandbeests to get stuck, especially if they have a stick-like structure, which would bury itself in the sand and prevent movement 7m5s.
• To prevent getting stuck, the Strandbeests evolved feet specifically adapted to the beach, featuring a large surface area that allows them to stay on top of the sand 7m16s.
• The feet also have wires that provide a lot of contact time with the ground, allowing for a smooth ride and reducing pressure on the Strandbeest's structure 7m36s.
• The smooth ride is achieved by the foot being in touch with the ground for a longer period, allowing other feet to take over and maintain movement 7m41s.
• Having a couple of inches of play in the linkage between the ankle and the foot is crucial in allowing the foot to stay in place while the linkage prepares the other foot to drop 8m7s.
• The movement of the Strandbeests is not a straight, robotic motion, but rather a natural swing, similar to human walking 8m31s.
• When the Strandbeests are stationary for an extended period, sand poses another major threat by covering the structure, which can be avoided by lifting the structure slightly to allow the sand to pass underneath 8m42s.
• The solution to this problem led to the evolution of flying Strandbeests 8m56s.

Surviving the storms 9m0s

• Strandbeests face violent threats such as storms, and to increase their odds of survival, they can band together, similar to regular animals that survive harsh conditions by grouping together 9m0s.
• When individual Strandbeests are placed on the beach, they can easily be blown over by strong winds, but as a group holding each other, they are stronger and more likely to survive 9m25s.
• The idea of grouping Strandbeests together also allows for a different type of Strandbeest that can be pulled by other Strandbeests, making them more resilient in strong winds 9m41s.
• Theo Jansen, the creator of the Strandbeests, allowed an experiment where a Strandbeest was pulled by a person, with the person acting as the motor and the Strandbeest's crawler following behind 9m51s.
• The experiment involved grabbing the Strandbeest at designated hand markings and walking it up a Dutch beach, demonstrating the potential for Strandbeests to be pulled and survive in strong winds 9m58s.

Incogni 10m17s

• Strandbeests are constantly battling against the elements, but they can help each other by working together, similar to how Incogni helps individuals fight against data brokers 10m17s.
• Data brokers collect various types of personal data, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, and social security numbers, and sell this information on the open market, leading to spam calls and emails 10m33s.
• Incogni fights data brokers by identifying who has an individual's data, determining applicable laws, and sending formal letters to request the removal of the individual's information 10m52s.
• To use Incogni's services, individuals must give them permission to act on their behalf, and Incogni will handle the process of requesting data removal from data brokers 10m55s.
• Incogni has filed a significant number of requests on behalf of the individual, with 192 requests filed in September and 260 requests filed currently, saving over 160 hours of work 11m12s.
• Individuals can try Incogni's services by visiting incogni.com/veritasium, clicking the link in the description, or scanning a provided QR code, and using the code "veritasium" to receive 60% off their annual subscription 11m22s.

Building muscle 11m46s

• The Strandbeests have a fatal flaw where they stop moving when the wind dies down, and this is a challenge that needs to be solved 11m52s.
• This challenge is similar to one that life has faced, where it cannot always rely on external currents to move, and instead needs to store energy for later use 12m8s.
• To collect energy, the Strandbeests use a sail that moves with the wind, turning a crankshaft that pushes a piston to store pressurized air in a plastic bottle 12m32s.
• The stored air can reach pressures of up to 5 bars, but the bottles can explode at 10 bars, as evidenced by a past incident where a bottle exploded and broke a window 12m48s.
• To use the stored energy, a pump is connected to the pressurized air, creating a muscle-like object that can become longer or shorter on command 13m25s.
• The Strandbeests have developed different types of muscles, including pulling and pushing muscles, which have allowed them to crawl, walk, and even wag their tails 13m41s.
• As the Strandbeests evolve to overcome challenges, they become more like real animals, mimicking life's evolutionary pattern and becoming more aware of their surroundings 14m5s.
• The evolution of the Strandbeests is similar to that of life, where animals had to overcome similar challenges to become more aware and, in some cases, conscious and self-aware 14m17s.

A developing brain 14m27s

• The Strandbeests face a significant challenge as they are blind and deaf, relying solely on feeling their surroundings to navigate, which can lead to accidentally walking into the water if carried by the wind, a potentially disastrous outcome 14m27s.
• To address this issue, a system is being developed to sense when the Strandbeest touches the water, allowing it to course correct and move back onto the beach through a connection of brain cells and muscles 14m54s.
• A water feeler is used to detect the proximity of the sea, which sucks in air and feels resistance when it comes into contact with water 15m14s.
• The water feeler's functionality relies on processing inputs, making decisions, and issuing commands to the muscles, essentially requiring a nervous system or brain 15m46s.
• A nerve cell prototype is demonstrated, showcasing a connection that can be blocked or opened using a piston, functioning as a valve that can switch between open and closed states 16m4s.
• The nerve cell prototype can be seen as the beginning of the Strandbeest's brain, capable of switching between zeros and ones like a computer 17m5s.
• It is estimated that around 20 brain cells would be needed for the Strandbeest to be able to turn around when walking into the water, although the complexity of the beach environment, with sand creeping into everything, makes implementation challenging 17m14s.

Fossils and decay 17m39s

• Over time, the Strandbeests slowly degrade, losing their color and potentially breaking apart, which contributes to the global microplastic pollution problem, albeit on a small scale 17m40s.
• Despite the degradation, almost all parts of the Strandbeests are reused, sold as fossils, or placed in a graveyard 17m54s.
• The creation and evolution of the Strandbeests have been made possible by the long-term dedication and obsession of one individual, who has been working on the project year after year 18m4s.

Strandbeests and climate change 18m13s

• Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the late 1980s indicated the planet would warm, causing sea levels to rise by as much as 2.2 meters by 2100, posing a significant threat to the Netherlands, where about a third of the country lies below the current sea level 18m15s.
• Theo Jansen proposed a solution to mitigate the effects of rising sea levels, envisioning a walking skeleton powered by the wind that would kick up sand as it walked, which would then be blown to the dunes, heightening them and protecting the Netherlands 18m37s.
• Jansen's idea, published in de Volkskrant, involved these wind-powered skeletons, which he called Strandbeests, or "beach beasts" in English 18m54s.
• The concept of Strandbeests was initially perceived as an unusual idea, but it was a response to the pressing issue of climate change and its potential impact on the Netherlands 19m8s.

Legacy 19m16s

• Theo Jansen's work on Strandbeests started from an article in a newspaper and eventually became a defining aspect of his life 19m16s.
• The primary motivation behind Jansen's work is no longer about protecting the Netherlands, but rather about fulfilling a fundamental human need 19m26s.
• This human need is the desire to be remembered after one's death, a common concern for many people 19m30s.
• To avoid being forgotten, people often go to great lengths, such as having children, donating large sums of money, or creating lasting works 19m40s.
• For Jansen, creating Strandbeests serves as a means to achieve remembrance and leave a lasting legacy 19m51s.
• Jansen's ultimate goal for the Strandbeests is for them to live independently on the beach, at which point he believes he can die with peace of mind 19m59s.

The Virus is Spreading 20m3s

• The creator of Strandbeests faces a challenge in that they do not have millions of years to evolve their designs, but they are trying to spread their idea to others, particularly young people, to help with the evolution process 20m4s.
• The creator is able to get help from some people who are very nice and willing to assist, and they are trying to "infect" them with the Strandbeest idea, or the "Strandbeest virus" 20m19s.
• The Strandbeest idea is spreading globally, with thousands of people incorporating the creator's 13 holy numbers into their own designs, including miniature Strandbeests, rideable Strandbeests, and a walking bicycle 20m35s.
• The creator wants everyone to build a Strandbeest, but they do not seem to have any ulterior motives other than enjoying the process of creating and seeing the Strandbeests in action 20m50s.
• The creator has a set of rules and restrictions for themselves when building Strandbeests, but they do not impose these same restrictions on others, which is seen as a beautiful aspect of their approach 20m59s.
• The ultimate goal of the Strandbeest evolution is to create a new species that can roam the world's beaches, potentially even helping to protect coastlines from rising sea levels 21m6s.