Actuators, Volume 8, Issue 1

The exhibition of significantly large bending is a remarkable characteristic of an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC). However, its inability to generate a high enough force is a major problem in achieving a practical IPMC actuator. The simultaneou...

In this paper, a modified U-shaped micro-actuator with a compliant mechanism is proposed. It was analyzed with a uniform and modified thin arm, as well as a similar variation in the corresponding flexure, in order to observe the impact of the complia...

This paper shows the possibility of the measurement of a temperature field generated by heated fluid from a synthetic jet (SJ) actuator. Digital holographic interferometry (DHI) was the main measuring method used for the experiments. A single-project...

Pump-controlled hydraulic circuits offer an energy-efficient solution for many applications. They combine the high power to weight ratio of hydraulic technology with the ease of control of electric technology. Pump-controlled circuits for double-rod...

Piezoelectric vibration-based energy harvesting systems have been used as an interesting alternative power source for actuators and portable devices. These systems have an inherent disadvantage when operating in linear conditions, presenting a maximu...

The stabilization of a magnetic suspension system is achieved by using a low-pass filter (LPF) with a nonlinear integrator without any other element. A proportional-derivative (PD) control is commonly used as the simplest method of stabilizing a magn...

For many years, the programmable positioners have been widely applied in structures of modern electro-pneumatic final control elements. The positioner consists of an electro-pneumatic transducer, embedded controller, and measuring instrumentation. El...

Medical professionals increasingly rely on endoscopes to carry out many minimally invasive procedures on patients to safely examine, diagnose, and treat a large variety of conditions. However, their insertion tube diameter dictates which passages of...

The present paper introduced a framework for multi-level coupling transient electromagnetic fields (EMF) and mechanical structural dynamics based on the finite element method (FEM). This framework was dedicated to predicting, with better accuracy, th...

Inchworm actuators are innovative mechanisms that offer nanometer-level positioning coupled with extreme dynamic range. Because of this, they have found applications in optical instruments of various types including interferometers, segmented reflect...

This paper presents a dynamic study of sandwich functionally graded beam with piezoelectric layers that are used as sensors and actuators. This study is exploited later in the formulation of the active control laws, while using the optimal control Li...

Magnetic springs are a fatigue-free alternative to mechanical springs that could enable compliant actuation concepts in highly dynamic industrial applications. The goals of this article are: (1) to develop and validate a methodology for the optimal d...

A magnetic bearing is an industrial device that supports a rotating shaft with a magnetic field. Magnetic bearings have advantages such as high efficiency, low maintenance, and no lubrication. Active magnetic bearings (AMBs) use electromagnets with a...

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

MEMS switches include mobile beams in their mechanical structure and these suspended parts are essential for the device functioning. This paper illustrates the most important instability phenomena related to MEMS switches. Starting from the most impo...

This paper presents a computational model and design optimization strategy for shape memory alloy (SMA) flexural actuators. These actuators consist of curved SMA wires embedded within elastic structures; one potential application is positioning micro...

This paper presents a case study and a model to predict maintenance interventions based on condition monitoring of diesel engine oil in urban buses by accompanying the evolution of its degradation. Many times, under normal functioning conditions, the...

Actuators intended for human–machine interaction systems are usually designed to be mechanically compliant. Conventional actuators are not suitable for this purpose due to typically high stiffness. Advanced powered prosthetic and orthotic devic...

Electrodynamic thrust bearings (EDTBs) provide contactless rotor axial suspension through electromagnetic forces solely leaning on passive phenomena. Lately, linear state-space equations representing their quasi-static and dynamic behaviours have bee...

In the past decade, advanced technologies in robotics have been explored to enhance the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Previous works have shown that gait assistance for post-stroke patients can be provided through the use of robotics techno...

We examine electrically conductive fabrics as conductive heaters for heat-activated soft actuators. We have explored various fabric designs optimized for material properties, heat distribution and actuation/de-actuation characteristics of the soft ac...

A piezoelectric energy harvester was developed in this paper. It is actuated by the vibration leakage from the nodal position of a high-power ultrasonic cutting transducer. The harvester was excited at a low displacement amplitude (0.73 µm_pp)....

Rigorous peer-review is the corner-stone of high-quality academic publishing [...]

In every country, large steel bridges, such as cable-stayed bridges, are actively being constructed, and the number of such bridges has been progressively increasing. These bridges are often inspected using drones, but inspection techniques have not...

This paper presents the design and implementation of a dual-arm soft robotic manipulator. It consists of two soft manipulators, which are driven by pneumatic actuators. Each soft manipulator is composed of three soft modules, and each module includes...

The vibration control of structures is a valuable technique to increase their integrity and life-cycle. Among smart materials, the passive and active control systems based on piezoelectric elements have been studied in depth. Since the size and locat...

The integration of soft actuating materials within origami-based mechanisms is a novel method to amplify the actuated motion and tune the compliance of systems for low stiffness applications. Origami structures provide natural flexibility given the e...

The design and construction of a soft robot are challenging tasks on their own. When the robot is supposed to operate without a tether, it becomes even more demanding. While a tethered operation is sufficient for a stationary use, it is impractical f...

It is well-known that collision-free control is a crucial issue in the path planning of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In this paper, we explore the collision avoidance scheme in a multi-UAV system. The research is based on the concept of multi-UAV...