Related papers: Untethered thin dielectric elastomer actuated soft…
In this paper, we characterize the performance of and develop thermal management solutions for a DC motor-driven resonant actuator developed for flapping wing micro air vehicles. The actuator, a DC micro-gearmotor connected in parallel with…
Conventional mobile tensegrity robots constructed with straight links offer mobility at the cost of locomotion speed. While spherical robots provide highly effective rolling behavior, they often lack the stability required for navigating…
In this paper, we propose a novel design of an electrically actuated robotic leg, called the DecARt (Decoupled Actuation Robot) Leg, aimed at performing agile locomotion. This design incorporates several new features, such as the use of a…
Robotic systems driven by conventional motors often suffer from challenges such as large mass, complex control algorithms, and the need for additional braking mechanisms, which limit their applications in lightweight and compact robotic…
Crawling is a common locomotion mechanism in soft robots and nonskeletal animals. In this work we propose modeling soft-robotic legged locomotion by approximating it with an equivalent articulated robot with elastic joints. For concreteness…
Compression-induced buckling instability of metal thin films on a compliant base result in surface wrinkles. A stiff thin film, perfectly bonded to an infinitely deep pre-stretched dielectric elastomer (DE) substrate, is considered. Linear…
In this work, the Cosserat formulation of geometrically exact beam dynamics is extended by adding the electric potential as an additional degree of freedom to account for the electromechanical coupling in the Dielectric Elastomer Actuators…
Background: Upper-limb weakness and tremor (4--12 Hz) limit activities of daily living (ADL) and reduce adherence to home rehabilitation. Objective: To assess technical feasibility and clinician-relevant signals of a sensor-fused wearable…
We introduce a new stress dilatometer with exactly the same size and weight as the world's smallest miniature capacitance dilatometer (height x width x depth = 15 mmx14 mmx15 mm, weight: 12 g). To develop this new device, only a single part…
Inspired by the observation of increasingly one-dimensional (1D) behavior with decreasing temperature in small-angle twisted bilayers of WTe$_2$ (tWTe$_2$), we theoretically explore the exotic sliding regimes that could be realized in…
Inspired by the snap-through action of a steel hairclip, we propose a design method for in-plane prestressed mechanisms that exhibit biomimetic morphing and high locomotion performance. Compliant bistable flapping mechanisms are fabricated…
There is a surge of research interest in the field of tensegrity robotics. Robots developed under this paradigm provide many advantages and have distinguishing features in terms of structural compliance, dexterity, safety, and weight…
Magnetic-responsive composites that consist of soft matrix embedded with hard-magnetic particles have recently been demonstrated as robust soft active materials for fast-transforming actuation. However, the deformation of the functional…
2H phase (trigonal prismatic D3h) of layered two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted a lot of interests due to the superior electronic and optoelectronic properties. However, flexible electronic devices…
The active reflector is one of the three main innovations of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The deformation of such a huge spherically shaped reflector into different transient parabolic shapes is achieved…
We report measurements on the high temperature ionic and low temperature electronic properties of the 3D topological insulator Bi$_2$Te$_2$Se using ion-implanted $^8$Li $\beta$-detected nuclear magnetic relaxation and resonance. With…
Soft and flexible conductors are essential in the development of soft robots, wearable electronics, as well as electronic tissue and implants. However, conventional soft conductors are inherently characterized by a large change in…
We report measurements of GaAs/AlGaAs undoped field-effect transistors in which two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) of exceptional quality and versatility are induced without modulation doping. Electron mobilities at T=4.2 K and density…
Pediatric exoskeletons offer great promise to increase mobility for children with crouch gait caused by cerebral palsy. A lightweight, compliant and user-specific actuator is critical for maximizing the benefits of an exoskeleton to users.…
We describe a new geometry for electrostatic actuators to be used in sensitive laser interferometers. The arrangement consists of two plates at the sides of the mirror (test mass), and therefore does not reduce its clear aperture as a…