Soft robotics is a promising new field offering robot systems that mimic the versatility and complexity of movement and propulsion seen in natural organisms. Such systems require complex actuation including length expansion/contraction, bending and torsion. To date, such actuators have been configured individually. Here, it is shown that composite fibers formed from a shape memory polymer and a thermo-sensitive hydrogel could be configured into any one of the tensile, torsional and flexural actuators. Furthermore, the programmed mode of actuation could be thermally erased and the same fiber re-programmed into a different type of actuator. The fibers were prepared from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with polycaprolactone and the fiber composition was tuned to optimize both shape fixity and the degree of actuation. The fibers could be programmed by heating to 60 ℃ and then cooled under tensile, flexural or torsional load. The fiber was then conditioned by immersing in water at room temper
Ni-Ti alloy, also known as Nitinol, is a metallic alloy of nickel and titanium in which the two elements are present in roughly equal atomic percentages.
From May 30 to June 4, Tomsk hosted a delegation from National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek. The delegates (the rector, his adviser, and deans) spent the majority of their visit at TSU. They were especially interested in EdTech
The use of shape memory polymers in soft robotics and actuators is discussed in this article, exploring the benefits they bring and future outlooks on this technology.