M. S. Bhamla

Wax "tails" enable planthopper nymphs to self-right midair and land on their feet

This study shows wax tails on planthopper nymphs reduce body rotation and improve landing success by creating aerodynamic drag during jumps.

Tiny amphibious insects use tripod gait for seamless transition across land, water, and duckweed

This study analyzes the locomotion of Microvelia insects across different surfaces, finding they maintain consistent leg movements on duckweed and adjust stride length based on surface texture, achieving higher speeds on water.

Limb loss and specialized leg dynamics in tiny water-walking insects

This study examines how Microvelia insects adapt to tarsal loss by altering their leg dynamics and gait during water walking.

Trackoscope: A Low-Cost, Open, Autonomous Tracking Microscope for Long-Term Observations of Microscale Organisms

Trackoscope enables long-term, high-resolution tracking of microscale organisms in a large area, capturing diverse behaviors like ciliate movement and bacterial hunting.

OpenCell: A Low-cost, Open-Source, 3-in-1 device for DNA Extraction

OpenCell is a low-cost, open-source 3-in-1 DNA extraction device that successfully isolates DNA from spinach with high yield and purity, demonstrating its effectiveness for PCR and affordability for resource-constrained labs.

Collecting-Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm L. variegatus

This study quantitatively examines the collecting-gathering behavior of blackworms, revealing how population size and physical adhesion mechanisms influence particle aggregation and ecological impacts.

A unified model for the dynamics of ATP-independent ultrafast contraction

This study develops a minimal mathematical model to explain ultrafast contraction in ciliated protists, identifying three dynamic regimes based on chemical driving rates and inertia.

Plate-Q: A Frugal Microplate-Reader for Bacterial Signal Quantification

Plate-Q is a low-cost microplate reader that quantifies bacterial fluorescence and optical density using a Raspberry-Pi camera and open-source software, achieving accuracy comparable to commercial readers.

The ultrafast snap of a finger is mediated by skin friction

This study analyzes finger snap dynamics using high-speed imaging and force sensors, revealing skin friction's role as a latch that controls velocity and energy release.

Emergent collective locomotion in an active polymer model of entangled worm blobs

The paper models worm blobs as active polymers to show how collective locomotion emerges from balancing attractive forces and self-propulsion.

A Tunable, Simplified Model for Biological Latch Mediated Spring Actuated Systems

The paper develops a tunable model of LaMSA systems and compares their performance to directly actuated systems, finding that including dynamic muscle properties enhances LaMSA performance.

Collective protection and transport in entangled biological and robotic active matter

The paper studies the collective behavior of entangled worms and develops robotic models to understand how entanglement and functional differentiation enable directed locomotion in soft, shape-shifting aggregates.

Addressing age related hearing loss through engineering accessible and affordable hearing technology

This paper presents a low-cost hearing aid (LoCHAid) for age-related hearing loss, showing it meets key performance standards and is affordable for widespread use.

A 3D-printed hand-powered centrifuge for molecular biology

This paper introduces a 3D-printed hand-powered centrifuge for use in remote and educational settings, demonstrating its ability to perform centrifugation for biomarker applications and nucleotide extractions.

ElectroPen: An ultralow-cost piezoelectric electroporator

The paper introduces ElectroPen, a low-cost electroporator for delivering molecules across cell membranes, demonstrating comparable efficiency to commercial devices at a fraction of the cost.

Collective intercellular communication through ultra-fast hydrodynamic trigger waves

This paper discovers ultra-fast hydrodynamic trigger waves in Spirostomum ambiguum that enable long-range intercellular communication through vortex flows and mechanosensitive ion channels.