Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Mopeds for Ants

for turning on a sixpence
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The interesting challenge here is that ants communicate and navigate by scent.

The ant no doubt *could* detect scents while mounted on the moped, but would probably try to dismount, to get closer to the ground, *unless* the moped had its own device in front to scrape up pheromones and convey them to the sensilla on the ant's antennae, so that the sensory experience overall would be richer on the moped than off.

If this could be achieved, the next thing would be to add a thread which could wick trail pheromones from the tarsal glands without causing discomfort, and deposit them behind.

pertinax, Sep 04 2024

Trail pheromones from tarsal glands https://www.science...20sternal%20glands.
[pertinax, Sep 04 2024]

The ant sensorium https://www.science...i/S146780391730004X
[pertinax, Sep 04 2024]

smell, in particular https://www.orkin.c...ants/can-ants-smell
[pertinax, Sep 04 2024]

Prompted by this .. Scooter_20Mower
Thank you, [xenzag] [pertinax, Sep 04 2024]

As you can see, https://en.wikipedi..._%28British_coin%29
a sixpence does have an ear in the middle of the obverse, except where worn away by surfeit of sweet nothings. [pertinax, Sep 05 2024]

[link]






       Hardly an original idea though....
xenzag, Sep 04 2024
  

       The original part is that, instead of relying on imaginary anthropomorphic ants, we are adapting the moped to ants as they are.
pertinax, Sep 04 2024
  

       "For turning on a sixpence"   

       Come over here and it's gonna be worth "minus sixpence", for sure.
blissmiss, Sep 05 2024
  

       You'd also have to figure out a way for them to do the things they use their mandibles for.
21 Quest, Sep 05 2024
  

       For moped riders who can't read good?
not_only_but_also, Sep 05 2024
  

       //things they use their mandibles for//   

       That would be the follow-up project, Backhoes for Ants.   

       It needs some seed capital, which they would carry away one seed at a time.
pertinax, Sep 05 2024
  
      
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