Everything from the tiniest particles to unfathomably large landmasses possesses this fundamental stick and slip characteristic, but only now are scientists beginning to understand the mechanics of ...

Pneumatic soft actuators with arrayed chambers (PSAC) can reproduce complex and various shapes such as tongues. This study presents a design method for an internal pressure pattern for the tongue-type ...

Swedish researchers have developed a breakthrough 3D printing method to create soft actuators. These dielectric elastic actuators (DEA) are made from silicone-based materials, combining conductive ...

The so-called dielectric elastic actuators (DEA) consist of two different silicone-based materials: a conductive electrode material and a non-conductive dielectric.

However, developing artificial muscles that can compare to the real thing is a major technical challenge. In order to keep up with their biological counterparts, artificial muscles must not only be ...

The so-called dielectric elastic actuators (DEA) consist of two different silicone-based materials: a conductive electrode material and a non-conductive dielectric.

Elastic-wave technology is poised to alter touch sensing across multiple industries and on a range of rigid objects, including glass, wood, and plastic.

Although it is generally assumed that surface elastic waves (vibrations) — such as those of earthquakes — will travel mostly unimpeded until their energy dissipates, there are ways to ‘steer ...

For robots to interact safely with humans and travel with minimal weight, low-density packable actuators are sought. Electronically-driven active materials like shape memory wire and other artificial ...

In the new study, Tawfick and his team used tiny coiled actuators -- analogous to animal muscles -- that pull on a beam-shaped mechanism, causing it to slowly buckle and store elastic energy until ...

They have attracted immense research interest, particularly at micro-/nanoscales. Many proposals for actuators rely on light as an energy source.

In an article recently published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports, researchers discussed the development, design, and utility of a self-spiraling pattern-driven 4D-printed actuator.