Related papers: The Soft-Membrane Surface Forces Apparatus
For soft robots to work effectively in human-centered environments, they need to be able to estimate their state and external interactions based on (proprioceptive) sensors. Estimating disturbances allows a soft robot to perform desirable…
We propose iterative methods for obtaining solvation structures on a solid plate which use force distributions measured by surface force apparatus (SFA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) as input data. Two model systems are considered here.…
Suspending devices on thin SiN membranes can limit their interaction with the bulk substrate and reduce parasitic capacitance to ground. While suspending devices on membranes is used in many fields including radiation detection using…
A high sensitivity force sensor based on dielectric microspheres in vacuum, optically trapped by a single, upward-propagating laser beam, is described. Off-axis parabolic mirrors are used both to focus the 1064~nm trapping beam and to…
Soft robotic actuators are safe and adaptable devices with inherent compliance, which makes them attractive for manipulating delicate and complex objects. Researchers have integrated stiff materials into soft actuators to increase their…
In granular physics experiments, it is a persistent challenge to obtain the boundary stress measurements necessary to provide full a rheological characterization of the dynamics. Here, we describe a new technique by which the outer boundary…
An efficient reflective elastic metasurface with tunable focusing point is proposed. The metasurface is based on electric resonators embedded in a stretchable elastic substrate. The focal length is controlled by mean of the stretching…
Soft robotics have gained increased attention from the robotic community due to their unique features such as compliance and human safety. Impressive amount of soft robotic prototypes have shown their superior performance over their rigid…
Soft robots are intrinsically capable of adapting to different environments by changing their shape in response to interaction forces with the environment. However, sensing and feedback are still required for higher level decisions and…
Microfluidic channels have emerged as useful tools to control dynamic forcing on transported microscale objects, as encountered in emulsions, biological flows, and other soft matter systems. Tailored channel designs enable precise…
Soft multi-axis force/torque sensors provide safe and precise force interaction. Capturing the complete degree-of-freedom of force is imperative for accurate force measurement with six-axis force/torque sensors. However, cross-axis coupling…
The current state of the art for analytical and computational modelling of deformation in nonlinear electroelastic and magnetoelastic membranes is reviewed. A general framework and a list of methods to model large deformation and associated…
One of the difficulties of applying a SEA force control is the complexity that exists when implementing its three main components, which must work together one after the other. To facilitate the implementation of a force control by SEA, in…
The morphology of spherically confined flexoelectric fluid membrane vesicles in an external uniform electric field is studied numerically. Due to the deformations induced by the confinement, the membrane becomes polarized resulting in an…
The rheology of granular materials near an interface is investigated through proton magnetic resonance imaging. A new cylinder shear apparatus has been inserted in the MRI device, which allows the control of the radial confining pressure…
Wavefront shaping (WFS) has emerged as powerful tool to control the propagation of diverse wave phenomena (light, sound, microwaves, ...) in disordered matter for applications including imaging, communication, energy transfer,…
Graphene is a powerful membrane prototype for both applications and fundamental research. Rheological phenomena including indentation, twisting, and wrinkling in deposited and suspended graphene are actively investigated to unravel the…
Surface stress, also known as surface tension, is a fundamental material property of any interface. However, measurements of solid surface stress in traditional engineering materials, such as metals and oxides, have proven to be very…
Tunable metasurfaces enable active and on-demand control over optical wavefronts through reconfigurable scattering of resonant nanostructures. Here, we present novel insights inspired by mechanical metamaterials to achieve giant tunability…
Soft stretchable materials are key for arising technologies such as stretchable electronics or batteries, smart textiles, biomedical devices, tissue engineering and soft robotics. Recent attempts to design such materials, via e.g.…