Shrishti Chatterjee
   

The Strike of the Heron


This visualization project was developed with researcher Rachel Fleming, who has been studying the rapid, coordinated motions of herons as they strike to capture prey. To understand this complex movement, Rachel has been gathering and analyzing data on how the flexible skeletal structure of the neck makes this high level of coordination and speed possible.

In this project, we begin by analyzing high-speed field recordings of herons and then attempt to recreate the neck morphology and movement through an interactive prototype.

Collaborator: Rachel Fleming (Researcher)

Focus: Data Visualisation, Web Design, Animation

Year: March 2026


We tracked the movement of the heron's joints in Adobe After Effects, and through projection identified twelve joints that felt most important in conveying the movement. Although the neck has seventeen joints, twelve became a careful compromise in trying to simplifying a complex motion.





We designed a new model based on a heron that Rachel had earlier made with seven joints. We laser-cut neck bones at different lengths and 3D printed the joints. From this, we developed three variations of joint-and-bone combinations to study what allows the neck to achieve a straight and controlled strike. The colored segment represents a specialized bone that becomes sharply angular at the moment of the strike.


By the end, our models began to resemble marionettes. I then created a playful web component that closely mirrors the physical models, except here the joints have no constraints, allowing users to move the cursor freely and draw strike motions like a heron.