Related papers: Actuation mechanisms in twisted and coiled polymer…
This paper presents modeling of a compliant 2D manipulator, a so called soft hydraulic/fluidic elastomer actuator. Our focus is on fiber-Reinforced Fluidic Elastomer Actuators (RFEA) driven by a constant pressure hydraulic supply and…
We numerically study Turing patterns (TPs) on two-dimensional surfaces with a square boundary in ${\bf R}^3$ using a surface model for polymerized membranes. The variables used to describe the membranes correspond to two distinct degrees of…
The recent discovery of electro-active polymers has shown great promises in the field of soft robotics, and was logically followed by experimental, numerical and theoretical developments. Most of these studies were concerned with systems…
Conventional soft pneumatic actuators, typically based on hollow elastomeric chambers, often suffer from small structural support and require costly geometry-specific redesigns for multimodal functionality. Porous materials such as foam,…
This work investigates the effects of tangent polar activity on the conformational and dynamic properties of entangled polymer melts through Langevin molecular dynamics simulations. We examine systems composed of all self-propelled,…
Tangentially driven active polymers (TDAPs), model systems for motor-driven filaments, have been extensively studied in uniform activity fields. Here, we show that an activity gradient breaks fore-aft symmetry, generating net body forces…
Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in ultrathin magnetic structures is a key ingredient for the development of electrically controlled spintronic devices. Due to their relatively large spin-polarization, high Curie temperature and low…
The paper addresses the underlying source of two forms of induced anisotropy in granular materials: contact orientation anisotropy and contact force anisotropy. A rational, mathematical structure is reviewed for the manner in which fabric…
Active constituents burn fuel to sustain individual motion, giving rise to collective effects that are not seen in systems at thermal equilibrium, such as phase separation with purely repulsive interactions. There is a great potential in…
Living soft tissues appear to promote the development and maintenance of a preferred mechanical state within a defined tolerance around a so-called set-point. This phenomenon is often referred to as mechanical homeostasis. In contradiction…
Thermal conductivities (TCs) of the vast majority of amorphous polymers are in a very narrow range, 0.1 $\sim$ 0.5 Wm$^{-1}$K$^{-1}$, although single polymer chains possess TC of orders-of-magnitude higher. Entanglement of polymer chains…
Geopolymers are an emerging class of binding materials used in sustainable cements, concretes, and composites. However, despite growing research, the lack of standardised processes and stability analyses for formulating activator solutions…
Topological constraints (TCs) between polymers determine the behaviour of complex fluids such as creams, oils and plastics. Most of the polymer solutions used every day life employ linear chains; their behaviour is accurately captured by…
Rock formations often exhibit transversely anisotropic elastic behavior due to their layered structure. Such materials are characterized by five independent elastic constants. In the context of petroleum applications, it is often…
We investigate the statistical mechanics of a torsionally constrained polymer. The polymer is modeled as a fluctuating rod with bend stiffness A kT and twist stiffness C kT. In such a model, thermal bend fluctuations couple geometrically to…
We propose an agent-based model of active flexible rods. Inspired by cytoskeletal flows, we introduce activity by an internal flow that contributes to the dissipative forces. The active force between our agents is central and reciprocal,…
Successful soft robot modeling approaches appearing in recent literature have been based on a variety of distinct theories, including traditional robotic theory, continuum mechanics, and machine learning. Though specific modeling techniques…
We review the physical properties of macromolecular networks, consisting of semiflexible polymers such as actin. We start by giving a theoretical analysis of the conformational statistics and mechanical response of single filaments.…
This paper describes the control, and evaluation of a new human-scaled biped robot with liquid cooled viscoelastic actuators (VLCA). Based on the lessons learned from previous work from our team on VLCA [1], we present a new system design…
The interplay between non-trivial band topology and strong electronic correlations is a central challenge in modern condensed matter physics. We investigate this competition on a two-leg ladder model with a p-wave-like hybridisation between…