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Researchers use shape memory alloys to create compact, lightweight, and high power density actuators for wearable devicesWearable optical devices find use in several fields, ranging from gaming to medicine. To improve on the immersive visual experience current devices offer, researchers from South Korea have developed an all-new compliant amplified shape memory alloy actuator (CASA). Its elliptic configuration and compliant structure amplify actuation strain and retain power density. Moreover, the artificial muscle-like actuator is light and compact. The researchers also demonstrate CASA-based prototype augmented reality glasses and two-way communication 3D-touch gloves. Wearable technology is expected to utilize shape memory alloy-based actuators in the near futureImage source: ShutterstockWearable devices are a technology with gaming, medical, and communication applications. They require compact, lightweight, and high power density actuators—devices that move and control a mechanism—for smart operation. These criteria put a variety of design constraints from an engineering standpoint. Previous studies have considered using shape memory alloys (SMAs), amongst other materials, for actuators. However, they suffer from low energy efficiency and require additional heavy components.Recently, a team of researchers from South Korea, led by Prof. Je-Sung Koh of Ajou University, have developed a compliant amplified SMA actuator (CASA) for wearable devices. It employs a minimal strain-amplification mechanism to compensate for the existing shortcomings. The findings were published in Nature Communications on 18th July 2022. Prof. Koh explains the fundamentals of CASA: “The actuator has an optimized elliptic configuration and a compliant structure: that of an artificial muscle. It consists of an SMA wire and elastic beams that amplify actuation strain and minimize power density reduction. The actuator weighs only 0.22 grams but is powerful enough to throw 10 grams of weight. Moreover, it has a relatively high power density of 1.7 kW/kg and an actuation strain of 300% under 80 grams of external payload.”The researchers have integrated this actuator with a bistable parallelogram linear stage. It improves energy efficiency, making possible the development of compact devices. Prof. Koh’s team has utilized the artificial muscle actuator to demonstrate multi-focus augmented reality glasses and soft 3D-touch gloves. The prototype glasses are capable of image depth control to relieve visual fatigue. On the other hand, the haptic gloves generate high pressures to provide large skin-deformation sensations for the wearer. They can also detect external contact by utilizing the actuator as a resistance-type force sensor, establishing two-way communication. “The present research has demonstrated the practical use of smart materials in commercial wearable devices. CASA has distinguishing performance in terms of actuation strain, power density, weight, and form factor. I believe it can replace the commercially available motor-based actuators soon,” concludes Prof. Koh.ReferenceAuthors:Dongjin Kim1, Baekgyeom Kim1, Bongsu Shin2,3, Dongwook Shin1, Chang-Kun Lee2,3, Jae-Seung Chung2,3, Juwon Seo2,3, Yun-Tae Kim2,3, Geeyoung Sung2,3, Wontaek Seo2, Sunil Kim2, Sunghoon Hong2, Sungwoo Hwang2,4, Seungyong Han1, Daeshik Kang1, Hong-Seok Lee2,5 and Je-Sung Koh1Title of original paper:Actuating compact wearable augmented reality devices by multifunctional artificial muscleJournal:Nature Communications DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31893-1Affiliations:1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ajou University, 206 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Republic of Korea. 2Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics, 130 Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16678, Republic of Korea3Samsung Electronics, 34, Seongchon-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06765, Republic of Korea4Samsung SDS, 125, Olympic-ro, 35-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05510, Republic of Korea5Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea*Corresponding author’s email: jskoh@ajou.ac.krAbout Ajou UniversityFounded in 1973, Ajou University has quickly grown to become one of the top universities in the Republic of Korea. With over 15,000 students and 50 research centers in diverse fields, Ajou University partakes in the largest national research and graduate education project funded by the Korean Ministry of Education. In line with its recently reformed vision, Ajou University’s goal is to change society by connecting minds and carrying out high-impact research to improve the welfare of people in and outside Korea. Website: https://www.ajou.ac.kr/en/index.doAbout the authorProf. Je-Sung Koh is an Associate Professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ajou University, Republic of Korea. His research group is developing biologically inspired robotic technologies. These include abstracting principles of nature creatures and building a biologically inspired robot using smart materials. His research interests encompass design and fabrication with smart materials, robots based on foldable structure, and soft robotics for enabling human-robot interaction.
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48
- 작성자국제협력팀
- 작성일2022-11-07
- 2415
- 동영상동영상
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The unique heterostructure of the photoanode displays enhanced charge collection, providing valuable insights into the design of efficient fuel cellsOngoing climate change has made the development of new renewable energy sources the need of the hour. The hydrogen production through water-splitting reactions is one of the most promising options, but the commercial viability of current technologies is limited. Recently, researchers developed a novel, dual textured heterostructure that provides key insights into the design of efficient water-splitting electrodes. The development of an efficient, high-performance photoanode for water-splitting reactions is the major technological bottleneck to the production of hydrogen through photoelectrochemical water-splitting cells. This research presents a novel, unique heterostructure design for photoanodes that displays enhanced performance.One of the most promising technologies to solve the dual problems of the energy crisis and climate change is photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting. PEC water-splitting is the process through which water molecules are split into hydrogen and oxygen through a light-catalyzed reaction in an electric cell. A key component of these cells is the photoanode, the light-sensitive negative electrode. The design of an efficient, high-performance photoanode is one of the technological bottlenecks to the commercialization of PEC cells.Heterostructure engineering—the combination and assembly of dissimilar materials into a single substrate—is a common approach to improving the design and subsequent performance of photoanodes. But research on the topic has, thus far, been limited to core/shell and planar heterostructure designs. Recently, researchers—led by Prof. In Sun Cho of Ajou University, Republic of Korea—have developed a novel heterostructure design with the potential to overcome the performance limiting factors of photoanodes. “Our novel design is a dual textured heterostructure that synergistically combines heterojunction (the interface between two dissimilar semiconductors) and texture/facet (crystallographic orientation and exposure of material planes) engineering,” explains Prof. Cho. Their work has been published in Chemical Engineering Journal.In this study, the research team first grew Sb:SnO2, or antimony-tin oxide (ATO), nanorods on fluorine-enriched tin oxide substrate. Next, they spin-coated a layer of BiVO4, or bismuth-vanadium oxide (BVO), on the nanorods, followed by a second hydrothermal growth to synthesize the heterostructure. The unique heterostructure exhibited a dual texture with intimate heterojunctions. It also has two different facets. Furthermore, it displayed enhanced charge collection and quadruple photocurrent density compared to its single-textured counterpart. Discussing the future implications of the work, Prof. Cho says, “The research presents new ideas for heterojunction design that can be widely applied to energy production and storage technology devices, like fuel cells.”The optimized synthesis method presented here can also be used to control morphology during the synthesis of a variety of other oxides, thereby extending its applications to energy fields beyond PEC water-splitting.ReferenceAuthors:Yoo Jae Jeong1,2, Sung Won Hwang1,2, Settasit Chaikasetsin3, Hyun Soo Han3, In Sun Cho1,2,*Title of original paper:Dual textured BiVO4/Sb:SnO2 heterostructure for enhanced photoelectrochemical water-splittingJournal:Chemical Engineering Journal DOI:10.1016/j.cej.2022.135183Affiliations:1Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Ajou University, Republic of Korea 2Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Republic of Korea3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, United States *Corresponding author’s email: insuncho@ajou.ac.krAbout Ajou UniversityFounded in 1973, Ajou University has quickly grown to become one of the top universities in the Republic of Korea. With over 15,000 students and 50 research centers in diverse fields, Ajou University partakes in the largest national research and graduate education project funded by the Korean Ministry of Education. In line with its recently reformed vision, Ajou University’s goal is to change society by connecting minds and carrying out high-impact research to improve the welfare of people in and outside Korea. Website: https://www.ajou.ac.kr/en/index.doAbout the authorProf. In Sun Cho is an Associate Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Ajou University, Republic of Korea. He received his PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from Seoul National University. Before coming to Ajou University, he completed his postdoctoral training at the Xiaolin Zheng lab at Stanford University. His group develops high-performance energy and catalysis devices. They are also involved in research on new and inexpensive nanomaterials with high functionalities.
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- 작성자국제협력팀
- 작성일2022-10-25
- 3531
- 동영상동영상
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A breakthrough linkage-driven robotic hand can grasp objects and manipulate everyday tools with superior efficiencyHumanoid robotic hands often have low dexterity and degrees of freedom, requiring additional attachments for performance enhancement, which makes their integration with robotic arms difficult and limits their applications. Now, researchers from Korea have developed a high-dexterity anthropomorphic robotic hand using a linkage-driven mechanism, which can be mounted on a commercial robot arm to perform complex tasks with dexterity and strength. A team of scientists developed a linkage-driven anthropomorphic robotic hand with high dexterity and tactile sensing that can perform everyday tasks and manipulate tools. Image source: Timusu, PixabayAlmost a quarter of the 206 bones in our body are in our hands. These 54 bones, and a complex architecture of muscles, facilitate the dexterity and sophisticated functioning of our hands. Translating these onto a humanoid robotic arm remains one of the unresolved quandaries of robotics. Currently, robotic hands can perform dexterous grasping motions with their high degree of freedom (DOF). However, these typically come with an attached forearm, which holds all the actuators (devices that move the robotic joints) required for motion. This large forearm prevents integration with already existing humanoid robot arms, thereby limiting application.Now, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Uikyum Kim from Ajou University, Korea, have developed a novel integrated linkage-driven dexterous anthropomorphic (ILDA) robotic hand, whose design solves some of these challenges and was recently published in a Nature Communications paper. Prof. Kim explains, “Robotics is slowly inching towards achieving human-level performance. We aimed to advance the process by creating a low-cost, low-maintenance, robust, and compact robotic hand with strong grip, dexterity, and controllability.”The developed robotic hand weighs less than 1.1 kg but still provides a fingertip force of 34 N (3.4 kilogram-force), and a strong grip force while handling up to an 18 kg payload. Their innovative design ensures 15 degrees of freedom across 20 joints and enough workspace for each finger. To evaluate the ILDA hand’s abilities, it was given tasks like crushing a soda can, holding an egg delicately, using tweezers, and cutting paper with scissors. The hand possessed high dexterity, along with tactile sensing (ability to detect physical interaction) capabilities, and precise control. The icing on the cake? This hand, which requires no additional modules, can easily be integrated into existing commercial robotic arms, making it versatile. “We hope that ILDA can be used to build prosthetic hands for people with disabilities,” says Prof. Kim. Indeed, they’ve ‘handled’ this quite well!ReferenceAuthors:Uikyum Kim 1,2,5, Dawoon Jung 3,5, Heeyoen Jeong4, Jongwoo Park 2, Hyun-Mok Jung2, Joono Cheong 3, Hyouk Ryeol Choi4, Hyunmin Do 2 & Chanhun Park 2Title of original paper:Integrated linkage-driven dexterous anthropomorphic robotic handJournal:Nature Communications DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-27261-0Affiliations:1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ajou University, Korea. 2 Department of Robotics and Mechatronics, Korea Institute of Machinery &Materials (KIMM), Korea. 3 Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering, Korea University, Korea. 4 Department ofMechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University,Korea. These authors contributed equally: Uikyum Kim, Dawoon Jung*Corresponding author’s email: ukim@ajou.ac.kr About Ajou UniversityFounded in 1973, Ajou University has quickly grown to become one of the top universities in the Republic of Korea. With over 15,000 students and 50 research centers in diverse fields, Ajou University partakes in the largest national research and graduate education project funded by the Korean Ministry of Education. In line with its recently reformed vision, Ajou University’s goal is to change society by connecting minds and carrying out high-impact research to improve the welfare of people in and outside Korea. Website: https://www.ajou.ac.kr/en/index.do About the authorDr. Uikyum Kim is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ajou University. In 2017, Uikyum Kim received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University. Before coming to Ajou University, he was a senior researcher at the Robotics & Mechatronics lab of Korea Institute of Materials & Machinery. Currently, his group is developing interactive and dexterous robotic systems such as anthropomorphic robotic hands and teleoperated surgical robots. Kim’s group is also involved in designing various multi-axis force/tactile sensors for robotic applications and automated systems.
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- 작성자국제교류팀
- 작성일2022-01-13
- 9593
- 동영상동영상
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Scientists have proposed a new way to describe electron movement in a unique type of solid system, enabling them to easily access their magnetic propertiesRecent research in the field of condensed matter physics has focused on “flat band systems,“ a source of intriguing electronic phenomena, such as superconductivity and magnetism. In a new study, researchers have proposed a new method of describing electron movement in “isolated flat bands (IFB),“ paving the way towards the design of novel quantum devices with customized magnetic responses. The new study reveals one of the underlying physical phenomena behind flat band systems and proposes a method to describe their wave function geometry. Image courtesy: Shutterstock.Flat band systems are a unique class of solid systems in which elect rons have infinite mass, i.e., they are hardly moving. The movement of electrons is described mathematically in the form of a “wave function.” The geometry of these wave functions is central to the description of condensed matter. Traditionally, wave function geometry is described by examining Landau levels (discrete energy levels for electrons that determine magnetic responses) using an approach called “Onsager’s semiclassical quantization rule.” But this approach cannot be applied to systems exhibiting “anomalous Landau levels.“ In a new study, published in Nature Communications, a team of scientists, including Assistant Professor Dr. Jun-Won Rhim of Ajou University, Korea, have proposed a new class of flat band systems with anomalous Landau levels. “Electrons in flat bands are not expected to respond to applied magnetic fields due to their infinite mass. However, we found that the electrons can move according to the quantum mechanical principle and that wave function geometry plays a vital role in this,” says Dr. Rhim.In their study, the researchers considered an “isolated flat band (IFB),” i.e. a flat band that is separated from other bands by a gap. The traditional Onsager approach does not apply to flat band systems because there are many electronic orbits for which Onsager’s quantization cannot be uniquely determined. The researchers instead used a “cross-gap Berry connection” to describe wave function geometry. According to Dr. Rhim, “IFBs are unbounded by the original band structure at zero magnetic field but are developed in the band gaps on either side of the flat band. The cross-gap Berry connection is a multi-band extension of the conventional Abelian Berry connection that helps describe inter-band couplings.”This is the first study to show how cross-gap Berry connections can affect physical properties in flat band systems. These results could prove crucial to the description and study of magnetic responses in solids. Better yet, these ideas can be applied in reverse to control wave function geometry in solids to design novel quantum devices with tunable magnetic responses.ReferenceAuthors:Yoonseok Hwang1,2,3, Jun-Won Rhim 1,2,4,* & Bohm-Jung Yang1,2,3,*Title of original paper:Geometric characterization of anomalous Landaulevels of isolated flat bandsJournal:Nature CommunicationsDOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26765-z Affiliations:1 Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Korea. 2 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Korea 3 Center for Theoretical Physics (CTP), Seoul National University, Korea 4 Department of Physics, Ajou University, Korea*Corresponding author’s email: jwrhim@ajou.ac.kr; bjyang@snu.ac.kr About Ajou UniversityFounded in 1973, Ajou University has quickly grown to become one of the top universities in the Republic of Korea. With over 15,000 students and 50 research centers in diverse fields, Ajou University partakes in the largest national research and graduate education project funded by the Korean Ministry of Education. In line with its recently reformed vision, Ajou University’s goal is to change society by connecting minds and carrying out high-impact research to improve the welfare of people in and outside Korea. Website: https://www.ajou.ac.kr/en/index.do About the authorDr. Jun Won Rhim is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Physics at Ajou University. His group is studying condensed matter physics theoretically. Before coming to Ajou University, he received his PhD in Physics from Yonsei University in 2011 and completed postdoctoral trainings at Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Korea, Max-Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Germany and Seoul National University, Korea.
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42
- 작성자국제교류팀
- 작성일2022-01-12
- 4684
- 동영상동영상
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Inspired by human fingers, researchers develop a millimeter-scale, multifunctional soft gripper capable of bidirectional sensing and heavy liftingDevices that allow firm grasping of soft tissues without damaging them are essential for robotic handling of living organisms. However, to mimic human fingers effectively, they need to be equipped with bidirectional sensing and high payload capacity. Using a shape memory material, researchers from Korea have now developed a miniature soft gripper that meets these requirements, with high sensitivity towards mechanical and thermal stimuli, opening doors to wide applications in biomedical engineering.Shaped like the human hand, a new, miniature soft gripper device developed by researchers in Korea can lift heavy objects and grasp living organisms at the microscale. Photo courtesy: Seungyong Han from Ajou UniversityMimicking the human hand is an important frontier in human-robot interaction research. Artificial soft grippers—hand-like sensing devices for gentle manipulation of soft objects—have found applications in several areas, including drug delivery, noninvasive biopsy, and shape detection. However, these devices are often bulky, lack multiple functionalities and cannot handle heavy objects. Moreover, they cannot interact bidirectionally, i.e., sense and respond to the object.To address this issue, researchers from Korea have now developed a millimeter-sized, multifunctional, lightweight soft gripper with five fingers that not only shows bidirectional interaction with organisms but can do so for both light and heavy organisms down to microscales. Their study, published in Science Robotics, demonstrates the utility of this miniature device—fashioned using a shape memory polymer —in handling soft, delicate tissues typical of living organisms. Prof. Seungyong Han from Ajou University, Korea, who led this study, explains, “The human hand has five fingers, which together enable delicate control and also act as important sensory organs. We wanted to develop a hand-like soft gripper with fingers to mimic the human hand and bridge the divide between humans and robots.”The soft gripper developed by Prof. Han and his team used silver nanowires that enabled mechanical control as well as thermal stimulation and monitoring of each finger. Additionally, a crack-based strain sensor integrated into the gripper offered high sensitivity to mechanical stimuli. They tested their device using snail eggs that are only 3 mm in size and extremely fragile. “Our gripper could not only handle the snail eggs but also provided warmth to promote hatching and even monitored the heart rate of the newborn snails,” comments Prof. Han, excited. “This confirmed that our miniaturized gripper could handle delicate biological tissues. Nevertheless, we also tested the device using other objects, such as metal washers, polystyrene balls, rigid caps, and salmon eggs,” he adds.This study—which represents cross-functional efforts across mechanical, electrical, material, and biomedical engineering—could have far-reaching applications in robotics and medicine for patient monitoring and treatment. “Our results demonstrate the potential of widespread utilities of soft gripper, especially in the development of conditional or closed-loop interfacing with microscale tissues and organisms,” speculates an optimistic Prof. Han.Some exciting consequences to look forward to! ReferenceAuthors:Yeonwook Roh1, Minho Kim1, Sang Min Won2, Daseul Lim1, Insic Hong1, Seunggon Lee1, Taewi Kim1, Changhwan Kim1, Doohoe Lee1, Sunghoon Im1, Gunhee Lee3, Dongjin Kim1, Dongwook Shin1, Dohyeon Gong1, Baekgyeom Kim1, Seongyeon Kim1, Sungyeong Kim1, Hyun Kuk Kim4, Bon-Kwon Koo5, Sungchul Seo6, Je-Sung Koh1, Daeshik Kang1, Seungyong Han1 Title of original paper:Vital signal sensing and manipulation of a microscale organ with a multifunctional soft gripper Journal:Science Robotics DOI:10.1126/scirobotics.abi6774 Affiliations:1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ajou University, Multiscale Bio-inspired Technology Lab, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea. 2Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea. 3Department of Environment Machinery, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Daejeon 34103, Republic of Korea. 4Department of Internal Medicine and Car- diovascular Center, Chosun University Hospital, University of Chosun College of Medicine, Gwangju 61453, Republic of Korea. 5Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. 6Department of Environmental Health and Safety, EulJi University, Seoul 11759, Republic of Korea. *Corresponding author’s email: sy84han@ajou.ac.kr About Ajou UniversityFounded in 1973, Ajou University has quickly grown to become one of the top universities in the Republic of Korea. With over 15,000 students and 50 research centers in diverse fields, Ajou University partakes in the largest national research and graduate education project funded by the Korean Ministry of Education. In line with its recently reformed vision, Ajou University’s goal is to change society by connecting minds and carrying out high-impact research to improve the welfare of people in and outside Korea. Website: https://www.ajou.ac.kr/en/index.do About the authorSeungyong Han is currently an associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at Ajou University, Republic of Korea. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ajou University in 2010, and his combined M.S./Ph.D. degree from KAIST, Republic of Korea, in 2014. Before joining Ajou University, he worked as a post-doc at Seoul National University (2014-2015) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015-2017). His research has been concentrated on various nanomaterials and its application to flexible/stretchable biomedical devices.
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- 작성자국제협력팀
- 작성일2021-11-30
- 6384
- 동영상동영상
