Credit: SUTD
Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have developed novel techniques, known as Automated Fibre Embedding (AFE), to produce complex fibre and silicone composite structures for soft robotics applications. Their work was published in
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.
Many soft robot components, including sensors and actuators, utilise embedded continuous fibres within elastomeric substrates to achieve various functionalities. However, manual embedding of continuous fibres in soft substrates is challenging due to the complexities involved in handling precise layering, and retaining of the fibres in the patterned positions which are prone to inconsistencies.
In contrast, the AFE approaches developed by the research team led by Assistant Professor Pablo Valdivia y Alvarado, enabled high precision fabrication of complex layered composites without manual user intervention, thus significantly augmenting the range of fabrication possi
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IMAGE: In 1990, Purdue University professor George Wodicka conceived of a medical device that gives clinicians vital information to make more informed, life-saving decisions for their smallest patients. view more
Credit: Purdue University photo/John Underwood
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. If a newborn is moved or becomes agitated while on a ventilator, the breathing tube also could move. Just a few seconds with the tube in the wrong position might lead to a critical lack of oxygen to the brain, possibly resulting in lifelong disability or brain damage or even ending the baby s life.
The incident is far too common. Unplanned extubation - when a breathing tube accidentally becomes dislodged from the trachea - affects 75,000, or about one in five, newborns on ventilators each year, an analysis by Premier Data Services found. A medical device born out of Purdue University could save these babies lives by helping to keep their breathing tubes at the correct depth.
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IMAGE: Schematic inner workings of the electrodes in a fuel cell, and the importance of key parameters. view more
Credit: Heinz et al., 2021
Widespread adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles over traditional electric vehicles requires fuel cells that can convert hydrogen and oxygen safely into water - a serious implementation problem.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are addressing one aspect of that roadblock by developing new computational tools and models needed to better understand and manage the conversion process. Hendrik Heinz, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is leading the effort in partnership with the University of California Los Angeles. His team recently published new findings on the subject in
New technology that will marry probes that can detect cancer tumors through the skin with high-precision robotic surgery is to be developed for use in hospital settings for the first time in a project led by the University of Warwick.
Researchers like Steven Caliari at the University of Virginia believe a cure for fibrotic diseases is possible. His research aims to reveal the cellular mechanisms that turn on the disease process.