Jamming Skins that Control System Rigidity from the Surface

Numerous animals adapt their stiffness during natural motions to increase efficiency or environmental adaptability. For example, octopuses stiffen their tentacles to increase efficiency during reaching, and several species adjust their leg stiffness to maintain stability when running across varied terrain. Inspired by nature, variable-stiffness machines can switch between rigid and soft states. However, existing variable-stiffness systems are usually purpose-built for a particular application and lack universal adaptability. Here, reconfigurable stiffness-changing skins that can stretch and fold to create 3D structures or attach to the surface of objects to influence their rigidity are presented. These “jamming skins” employ vacuum-powered jamming of interleaved, discrete planar elements, enabling 2D stretchability of the skin in its soft state. Stretching allows jamming skins to be reversibly shaped into load-bearing, functional tools on-demand. Additionally, they can be attached to host structures with complex curvatures, such as robot arms and portions of the human body, to provide support or create a mold. We also show how multiple skins can work together to modify the workspace of a continuum robot by creating instantaneous joints. Jamming skins thus serve as a reconfigurable approach to creating tools and adapting structural rigidity on-demand.     

Controllable Stiffness Origami “Skeletons” for Lightweight and Multifunctional Artificial Muscles

Flexible, material‐based, artificial muscles enable compliant and safe technologies for human–machine interaction devices and adaptive soft robots, yet there remain long‐term challenges in the development of artificial muscles capable of mimicking flexible, controllable, and multifunctional human activity. Inspired by human limb's activity strategy, combining muscles' adjustable stiffness and joints' origami folding, controllable stiffness origami “skeletons,” which are created by laminar jamming and origami folding of multiple layers of flexible sandpaper, are embedded into a common monofunctional vacuumed‐powered cube‐shaped (CUBE) artificial muscle, thereby enabling the monofunctional CUBE artificial muscle to achieve lightweight and multifunctionality as well as controllable force/motion output without sacrificing its volume and shape. Successful demonstrations of arms self‐assembly and cooperatively gripping different objects and a “caterpillar” robot climbing different pipes illustrate high operational redundancy and high‐force output through “building blocks” assembly of multifunctional CUBE artificial muscles. Controllable stiffness origami “skeletons” offer a facile and low‐cost strategy to fabricate lightweight and multifunctional artificial muscles for numerous potential applications such as wearable assistant devices, miniature surgical instruments, and soft robots.     

Liquid Metal Based Island‐Bridge Architectures for All Printed Stretchable Electrochemical Devices

The adoption of epidermal electronics into everyday life requires new design and fabrication paradigms, transitioning away from traditional rigid, bulky electronics towards soft devices that adapt with high intimacy to the human body. Here, a new strategy is reported for fabricating achieving highly stretchable “island‐bridge” (IB) electrochemical devices based on thick‐film printing process involving merging the deterministic IB architecture with stress‐enduring composite silver (Ag) inks based on eutectic gallium‐indium particles (EGaInPs) as dynamic electrical anchors within the inside the percolated network. The fabrication of free‐standing soft Ag‐EGaInPs‐based serpentine “bridges” enables the printed microstructures to maintain mechanical and electrical properties under an extreme (≈800%) strain. Coupling these highly stretchable “bridges” with rigid multifunctional “island” electrodes allows the realization of electrochemical devices that can sustain high mechanical deformation while displaying an extremely attractive and stable electrochemical performance. The advantages and practical utility of the new printed Ag‐liquid metal‐based island‐bridge designs are discussed and illustrated using a wearable biofuel cell. Such new scalable and tunable fabrication strategy will allow to incorporate a wide range of materials into a single device towards a wide range of applications in wearable electronics.     

Magnetic Assembly of Soft Robots with Hard Components

This paper describes the modular magnetic assembly of reconfigurable, pneumatically actuated robots composed of soft and hard components and materials. The soft components of these hybrid robots are actuators fabricated from silicone elastomers using soft lithography, and the hard components are acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) structures made using 3D printing. Neodymium–iron–boron (NdFeB) ring magnets are embedded in these components to make and maintain the connections between components. The reversibility of these magnetic connections allows the rapid reconfiguration of these robots using components made of different materials (soft and hard) that also have different sizes, structures, and functions; in addition, it accelerates the testing of new designs, the exploration of new capabilities, and the repair or replacement of damaged parts. This method of assembling soft actuators to build soft machines addresses some limitations associated with using soft lithography for the direct molding of complex 3D pneumatic networks. Combining the self‐aligning property of magnets with pneumatic control makes it possible for a teleoperator to modify the structures and capabilities of these robots readily in response to the requirements of different tasks.     

A Modeling Framework for Jamming Structures

Jamming is a structural phenomenon that provides tunable mechanical behavior. A jamming structure typically consists of a collection of elements with low effective stiffness and damping. When a pressure gradient, such as vacuum, is applied, kinematic and frictional coupling increase, resulting in dramatically altered mechanical properties. Engineers have used jamming to build devices from tunable-stiffness grippers to tunable-damping landing gear. This study presents a rigorous framework that systematically guides the design of jamming structures for target applications. The force-deflection behavior of major types of jamming structures (i.e., grain, fiber, and layer) in fundamental loading conditions (e.g., tension, shear, and bending) is compared. High-performing pairs (e.g., grains in compression, layers in shear, and bending) are identified. Parameters that go into designing, fabricating, and actuating a jamming structure (e.g., scale, material, geometry, and actuator) are described, along with their effects on functional metrics. Two key methods to expand on the design space of jamming structures are introduced: using structural design to achieve effective tunable-impedance behavior in specific loading directions, and creating hybrid jamming structures to utilize the advantages of different types of jamming. Collectively, this study elaborates and extends the jamming design space, providing a conceptual modeling framework for jamming-based structures.     

In Situ Construction of “Anchor‐Like” Structures in FeNCN for Long Cyclic Life in Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Iron carbodiimide (FeNCN) is a high‐reactivity anode material for sodium‐ion batteries. However, strict synthesis technology and poor electrochemical stability limit its application. FeNCN polyhedrons are prepared using a facile one‐step pyrolysis process. In these polyhedrons, many “anchor‐like” structures are in situ constructed with Fe? C bonds. These Fe? C bonds connect the FeNCN polyhedrons closely. The FeNCN polyhedrons with “anchor‐like” structures exhibit good electrochemical stability, that is, high capacity retention of 79.9% (408 mAh g^?1) at 0.5 A g^?1 after 300 cycles. Further analysis suggests that the Fe? C bond plays an important role to improve the structural stability of FeNCN polyhedrons. The “anchor‐like” structures with Fe? C bonds can hold FeNCN polyhedrons closely when Na⁺ intercalates, avoiding structural breakage with obvious capacity loss. This work provides a novel synthesis technology of FeNCN and helps related researcher to deepen the understanding of this material, as well as provide inspirations as to improving the electrochemical stability of related materials.     

Asymmetric “Janus” Biogel for Human-Machine Interfaces

Human-machine interfaces (HMIs) are essential for effective communication between machines and tissues. However, mechanical and biological mismatches, along with weak adhesion between rigid electronic devices and soft tissue, often cause unreliable responses and affect the signal recording of HMIs. In this study, an asymmetrical “Janus” biogel patch with one side firmly adhering to tissues, and the other surface having little adhesion and minimal interactions with surrounding environments has been developed. A series of analytical, mechanical, and electrical tests are performed to investigate the “Janus” biogel patch as a functional and biocompatible HMI. It is found that the gallic acid-modified gelatin adhesive surface on one side exhibits body temperature-dependent tissue adhesion, enabling low modulus and seamless skin contact. The other side is a tough gelatin/glycerol gel layer, which is thermally welded into the adhesive layer and functions as an encapsulant to prevent external interference due to adhesion. The encapsulation layer also exhibits a low friction coefficient when wet and proves to be a reliable alternative barrier to conventional encapsulation materials. The scientific insights and engineering principles revealed in this type of “Janus” biogel will be applicable to a broad range of biomedical applications, such as epidermal adhesive electrodes or skin-adhesive wearable devices.     

Soft Actuators and Robots that Are Resistant to Mechanical Damage

This paper characterizes the ability of soft pneumatic actuators and robots to resist mechanical insults that would irreversibly damage or destroy hard robotic systems—systems fabricated in metals and structural polymers, and actuated mechanically—of comparable sizes. The pneumatic networks that actuate these soft machines are formed by bonding two layers of elastomeric or polymeric materials that have different moduli on application of strain by pneumatic inflation; this difference in strain between an extensible top layer and an inextensible, strain‐limiting, bottom layer causes the pneumatic network to expand anisotropically. While all the soft machines described here are, to some extent, more resistant to damage by compressive forces, blunt impacts, and severe bending than most corresponding hard systems, the composition of the strain‐limiting layers confers on them very different tensile and compressive strengths.     

A survey on modularity and distributivity in series-parallel hybrid robots

Parallel mechanisms are used increasingly often as modular subsystem units in various robots and man-machine interfaces for their superior stiffness, payload-to-weight ratio and dynamic properties. This leads to series-parallel hybrid robotic systems which utilize closed loop linkages and parallel kinematic machines as an abstraction of a certain kinematic joint. This paper presents a survey of recently developed series-parallel hybrid robots in various application domains such as legged robotics, humanoids, exoskeletons and industrial automation. In particular, we focus on modular and distributive aspects of such systems with an intention to bring their current design paradigm into focus, which simplifies the robot development process by promoting the effective reuse of hardware and software components and overcomes the shortcomings of traditional serial robots like poor payload capacity and stiffness.     

Machinic rhetorics and the influential movements of robots

From spiritual vehicles, channeling the miracle of Christ, to science incarnate, operating beyond human interest, machines can communicate. Building from literatures on posthuman performance and ambient rhetoric, this article develops “machinic rhetoric” as a framework useful for appreciating the tacitly persuasive actions of machines (such as robots and computers). A selective history of machinic movement is traced to highlight the historico-cultural meanings that can be associated with the movements of machines. Expert systems, machine learning platforms, and voice-based interfaces are examined as contemporary examples of machinic rhetorics. Implications of machinic rhetoric to scholarship of technology and rhetoric are considered.     

基于线性高斯滤波的反干扰跟踪方法

以往机动目标的跟踪问题大多是针对确定性系统,而对随机跳变系统的研究较少.针对目标随机施放干扰的情况,将线性高斯滤波应用于观测噪声中带有尖头干扰信号的系统中,实现机动目标的反干扰跟踪.其算法是一种基于不同模型问"软切换"的机动目标跟踪方法,用计算的概率权值对这些模型输出进行综合,保证了跟踪精度,大大降低了离散时间结构随机跳变系统最优滤波算法的复杂程度.通过仿真实例可以看出,在观测噪声特性发生剧烈随机跳变的情况下,线性高斯滤波算法对机动目标进行了比较准确的跟踪,其性能显著地优于标准的卡尔曼滤波算法.     

High‐Strain Peano‐HASEL Actuators

Soft robots are intrinsically safe for use near humans and adaptable when operated in unstructured environments, thereby offering capabilities beyond traditional robots based on rigid components. Soft actuators are key components of soft robots; recently developed hydraulically amplified self‐healing electrostatic (HASEL) actuators provide a versatile framework to create high‐speed actuators with excellent all‐around performance. Peano‐HASEL actuators linearly contract upon application of voltage, closely mimicking the behavior of muscle. Peano‐HASEL actuators, however, produce a maximum strain of ≈15%, while skeletal muscles achieve ≈20% on average. Here, a new type of HASEL is introduced, termed high‐strain Peano‐HASEL (HS‐Peano‐HASEL) actuator, that achieves linear contraction up to ≈24%. A wide range of performance metrics are investigated, and the maximum strain of multiunit HS‐Peano‐HASEL actuators is optimized by varying materials and geometry. Furthermore, an artificial circular muscle (ACM) based on the HS‐Peano‐HASEL acts as a tubular pump, resembling the primordial heart of an ascidian. Additionally, a strain‐amplifying pulley system is introduced to increase the maximum strain of an HS‐Peano‐HASEL to 42%. The muscle‐like maximum actuation strain and excellent demonstrated all‐around performance of HS‐Peano‐HASEL actuators make them promising candidates for use in artificial organs, life‐like robotic faces, and a variety of other robotic systems.     

Recent Advances in Liquid‐Like Thermoelectric Materials

Thermoelectric technology has attracted great attention due to its ability to recover and convert waste heat into readily available electric energy. Among the various candidate materials, liquid‐like compounds have received tremendous research interest on account of their intrinsically ultralow lattice thermal conductivity, tunable electrical properties, and high thermoelectric performance. Despite their complex phase transitions and diverse crystal structures, liquid‐like materials have two independent sublattices in common: one rigid sublattice formed by immobile ions for the free transport of electrons and one liquid‐like sublattice consisting of highly mobile ions to interrupt the thermal transports. This review first outlines the common structural features of liquid‐like thermoelectrics, along with their unusual electron and phonon transport behaviors that well satisfy the concept of “phonon‐liquid electron‐crystal.” Next, some commonly adopted strategies for further improving their thermoelectric performance are highlighted. The main progress achieved in the typical liquid‐like TE materials is then summarized, with an emphasis on their diverse crystal structures, common characteristics, and unique transport properties. The recent understandings on the stability issue of liquid‐like TE materials are also introduced. Finally, an outlook is given for the liquid‐like materials with the aim to boost further development in this exciting scientific subfield.     

Mechanical Switching of Nanoscale Multiferroic Phase Boundaries

Tuning the lattice degree of freedom in nanoscale functional crystals is critical to exploit the emerging functionalities such as piezoelectricity, shape‐memory effect, or piezomagnetism, which are attributed to the intrinsic lattice‐polar or lattice‐spin coupling. Here it is reported that a mechanical probe can be a dynamic tool to switch the ferroic orders at the nanoscale multiferroic phase boundaries in BiFeO₃ with a phase mixture, where the material can be reversibly transformed between the “soft” tetragonal‐like and the “hard” rhombohedral‐like structures. The microscopic origin of the nonvolatile mechanical switching of the multiferroic phase boundaries, coupled with a reversible 180° rotation of the in‐plane ferroelectric polarization, is the nanoscale pressure‐induced elastic deformation and reconstruction of the spontaneous strain gradient across the multiferroic phase boundaries. The reversible control of the room‐temperature multiple ferroic orders using a pure mechanical stimulus may bring us a new pathway to achieve the potential energy conversion and sensing applications.     

3D Knitting for Pneumatic Soft Robotics

Soft robots adapt passively to complex environments due to their inherent compliance, allowing them to interact safely with fragile or irregular objects and traverse uneven terrain. The vast tunability and ubiquity of textiles has enabled new soft robotic capabilities, especially in the field of wearable robots, but existing textile processing techniques (e.g., cut-and-sew, thermal bonding) are limited in terms of rapid, additive, accessible, and waste-free manufacturing. While 3D knitting has the potential to address these limitations, an incomplete understanding of the impact of structure and material on knit-scale mechanical properties and macro-scale device performance has precluded the widespread adoption of knitted robots. In this work, the roles of knit structure and yarn material properties on textile mechanics spanning three regimes–unfolding, geometric rearrangement, and yarn stretching–are elucidated and shown to be tailorable across unique knit architectures and yarn materials. Based on this understanding, 3D knit soft actuators for extension, contraction, and bending are constructed. Combining these actuation primitives enables the monolithic fabrication of entire soft grippers and robots in a single-step additive manufacturing procedure suitable for a variety of applications. This approach represents a first step in seamlessly “printing” conformal, low-cost, customizable textile-based soft robots on-demand.     

抗激光散斑干扰的粒子滤波跟踪算法硬件实现

针对传统的电视跟踪系统在激光散斑干扰下跟踪效果不佳的问题,对抗干扰性较强的粒子滤波跟踪算法进行了硬件实现并改进。首先基于"DSP+ARM"技术架构设计了电视跟踪仿真平台;然后对裂变自举粒子滤波跟踪算法进行了研究,并结合仿真平台进行了工程化改进、优化和实现,提高了运算速度,满足了高效性和实时性的跟踪要求。实验结果表明,该仿真平台能够运行改进的裂变自举粒子滤波算法,达到实时稳定的跟踪要求,具备一定的抗激光散斑干扰的能力。     

A Biomimetic Soft Lens Controlled by Electrooculographic Signal

Thanks to many unique features, soft robots or soft machines have been recently explored intensively to work collaboratively with human beings. Most of the previously developed soft robots are either controlled manually or by prewritten programs. In the current work, a novel human–machine interface is developed to use electrooculographic signals generated by eye movements to control the motions and the change of focal length of a biomimetic soft lens. The motion and deformation of the soft lens are achieved by the actuation of different areas of dielectric elastomer films, mimicking the working mechanisms of the eyes of human and most mammals. The system developed in the current study has the potential to be used in visual prostheses, adjustable glasses, and remotely operated robotics in the future.     

Analysis of light-induced degradation mechanisms in α-Si:H/μc-Si:H solar photovoltaics

The photoinduced degradation of the i-α-Si:H layer in tandem photovoltaic converters based on α-Si:H/μc-Si:H structures is analyzed in terms of the “H-collision-” and “floating-bond” models and modifications of these. It is shown that the form of the degradation dependence is well described by all models under consideration. Compared with the modified models, the original “H-collision-” and “floating-bond” models yield estimates for saturated dangling-bond concentrations, which are always dependent on the intensity of the light that caused the degradation. The modified “floating-bond” model makes it possible to exclude this dependence, and the modified “H-collision” model describes the occurrence of this dependence in a certain range of illumination intensities and its absence in another range, which is in best agreement with experimental data.     

Recent Development of Jumping Motions Based on Soft Actuators

Drawing inspiration from the jumping motions of living creatures in nature, jumping robots have emerged as a promising research field over the past few decades due to great application potential in interstellar exploration, military reconnaissance, and life rescue missions. Early reviews mainly focused on jumping robots made of lightweight and rigid materials with mechanical components, concentrating on jumping control and stability. Herein, attention is paid to the jumping mechanisms of soft actuators assembled from various soft smarting materials and powered by different stimulus sources. The challenges and prospects of soft jumping actuators are also discussed. It is hoped that this review will contribute to the further development of soft jumping actuators and broaden their practical applications.     

Newspaper journalists’ attitudes towards robot journalism

This study identifies the attitudes of three types of newspaper journalists towards robot journalism by employing Q-methodology. The samples analyzed in this study are 47 journalists from 17 South Korean newspapers. The first type believes that journalism is beyond robots’ capabilities, a position terms “journalism’s elitism.” The second type demonstrates the “Frankenstein complex,” meaning greater concern about the introduction of robots based on dismal scenarios. The last type has a relatively rosy view, which focuses on a positive blueprint despite recognition of some threats.