Daniel Fischer Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Hello, I haven't been here for a long time so first of all, I want to say that it feels good to be back! I am a student in 11th grade and the pressures of school got my mind off of paleontology lately. But now came the opportunity I have been waiting for, I am learning in a class where we learn electricity, programming and biology. As part of our studying, we need to design and create a machine that solves a problem in the world. I would really like to make something in the filed of paleontology. But the first step is finding a suitable problem and research. So I am here to ask you what problems do you have in the field of paleontology? I was thinking that maybe I can find a way to make a more efficient tool for Fossil prep or for getting fossils from the filed to the lab safely. Obviously I can't solve problems like these entirely but maybe I can help a little bit. So please let me know any ides you have for me! By the way sorry if this isn't the right topic to share this post, I really wasn't sure where to post this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Develop a drone/robot, (land or air), that can carry our fossils back to our car or bring supplies from our car. Dang, I forgot my hammer. Don’t worry, Danny the drone will get it for you. 4 My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val horn Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 I need to take my tools with me by airplane so things need to fold, and be light weight . Right now I generally buy an new shovel, new wheeled cart, and a new sieve where ever I go. This is not an earth shaking problem, but I dont like the waste. The folding shovels that I have tried to be one use and done because gravel and sand get into the hinges and so it it will not repack or if so it never reopens. The walking stick I have telescopes and has survived my abuse so that might be a direction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 what exists, but could optimized is a tool to read automatically the fossils in an electronic field-map. So you have in a second the right position and height forever. Best is to combine it with a pic, so if there is a tool for a mobilphone possible, the paleo-nobelprize is reachable.. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaacTheFossilMan Posted January 7, 2023 Share Posted January 7, 2023 On 1/5/2023 at 4:49 PM, DPS Ammonite said: Develop a drone/robot, (land or air), that can carry our fossils back to our car or bring supplies from our car. Dang, I forgot my hammer. Don’t worry, Danny the drone will get it for you. The only problem is, in lots of places, it is illegal to fly drones... ~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com "Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawson Sensenig Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I think it would be cool to be able to develop an RC Car of sorts that could survey an area (without having to control it, like a roomba sort of deal) while using ground penetrating radar or some sort of seismic surveying. Once the robot collects its data it could transmit it back to a computer where you can run a program and BINGO! A 3D map of the subsurface revealing the secrets of where the fossils are hiding! All without having to swing a hammer. That's just my idea, because there has to be better way for geophysics to be used within our field. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared C Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 Chainsaws are often a useful but dangerous tool in paleo. Issue is, chainsaws aren't really designed for slicing through stone, and a chain break during use would be not only possible but incredibly dangerous (imagine a metal whip moving at many of hundreds of miles per hour). A more easy approach you can take is creating a a sort of guard, keeping the user somewhat safe(r) in the event of a chain break. Something I would love to see one day that is a bit outside of the scope of a class project is a rock saw with the reach and maneuverability of a chainsaw though. 1 “Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think” -Werner Heisenberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterpillar Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 Sometimes, I happen to use my estwing hammer as a chisel. I hold him by his handle and tap his head with a mallet. This is not recommended at all but in some cases it is more accurate than holding a chisel in your hand. I was wondering if there was a removable handle to hold the chisel, the same way I hold my estwing. This handle would be adjustable depending on the size of the chisel 1 1 1 http://www.paleotheque.fr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, caterpillar said: Sometimes, I happen to use my estwing hammer as a chisel. I hold him by his handle and tap his head with a mallet. This is not recommended at all but in some cases it is more accurate than holding a chisel in your hand. I was wondering if there was a removable handle to hold the chisel, the same way I hold my estwing. This handle would be adjustable depending on the size of the chisel Try a pair of locking pliers, such as Vice Grips, to hold a chisel. Edited January 9, 2023 by DPS Ammonite My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterpillar Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 Yes, it is a solution but it would be nice to have a specially adapted tool. And as our friend wants to create something, it's an idea for him 1 1 http://www.paleotheque.fr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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