scholarly journals Dynamics of a Vibration Driven Bristlebot

Author(s):  
Chandravamsi Gandra ◽  
Phanindra Tallapragada

Abstract Vibration driven robots such as the so called bristlebot and kilobot utilize periodic forced vibration of an internal mass to achieve directed locomotion. These robots are supported on an elastic element such as bristles or cilia and contain an internal mass that is driven to oscillate at a high frequency. Besides well known applications in investigating swarming behavior, such robots have potential applications in rescue operations in rubble, inspections of pipes and other inaccessible confined areas and in medical devices where conventional means of locomotion is ineffective. Bristlebot or its commercially available variants such as hexbugs are popular toy robots. Despite the apparent simplicity of these robots, their dynamic behavior is very complex. Vibration robots have attracted surprisingly few analytical models, those models that exist can only explain some regimes of locomotion. In this paper, a wide range of motion dynamics of a bristlebot is explored using a mathematical model which accounts for slip-stick motion of the bristles with the substrate. Analytical conditions for the system to exhibit a particular type of motion are formulated and the system of equations defining the motion are solved numerically using these conditions. The numerical simulations show transitions in the kinds of locomotion of a bristlebot as a function of the forcing frequency. These different kinds of locomotion include stick-slip and pure slip motions along with the important phenomenon of the reversal of the direction of motion of the robot. In certain ranges of frequencies, the robot can lose contact with the ground and ‘jump’. These different regimes of locomotion are a result of the nonlinear vibrations of the robot and the friction between the robot’s bristles and the ground. The results of this paper can potentially lead to more versatile vibration robots with predictable and controllable dynamics.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Phanindra Tallapragada ◽  
Chandravamsi Gandra

Abstract Terrestrial locomotion that is produced by creating and exploiting frictional anisotropy is common amongst animals such as snakes, gastropods, limbless lizards. In this paper we present a model of a bristle bot that locomotes by generating frictional anisotropy due to the oscillatory motion of an internal mass and show that this is equivalent to a stick-slip Mathieu oscillator. Such vibrational robots have been available as toys and theoretical curiosities and have seen some applications such as the well known kilobot and in pipe line inspection, but much remains unknown about this type of terrestrial locomotion. In this paper, motivated by a toy model of a bristle bot made from a toothbrush, we derive a theoretical model for its dynamics and show that its dynamics can be classified into four modes of motion : purely stick (no locomotion), slip, stick-slip and hopping. In the stick mode, the dynamics of the system are those of a nonlinear Mathieu oscillator and large amplitude resonance oscillations lead to the slip mode of motion. The mode of motion depends on the amplitude and frequency of the periodic forcing. We compute a phase diagram that captures this behavior, that is reminiscent of the tongues of instability seen in a Mathieu oscillator. The broader result that emerges in this paper is that mobile limbless continuum or soft robots can exploit high frequency parametric oscillations to generate fast and efficient terrestrial motion.


Author(s):  
N. S. Aryaeva ◽  
E. V. Koptev-Dvornikov ◽  
D. A. Bychkov

A system of equations of thermobarometer for magnetite-silicate melt equilibrium was obtained by method of multidimensional statistics of 93 experimental data of a magnetite solubility in basaltic melts. Equations reproduce experimental data in a wide range of basalt compositions, temperatures and pressures with small errors. Verification of thermobarometers showed the maximum error in liquidus temperature reproducing does not exceed ±7 °C. The level of cumulative magnetite appearance in the vertical structure of Tsypringa, Kivakka, Burakovsky intrusions predicted with errors from ±10 to ±50 m.


Author(s):  
A. M. Oleynikov ◽  
L. N. Kanov

The paper gives the description of the original wind electrical installation with mechanical reduction in which the output of vertical axis wind turbine with rather low rotation speed over multiplicator is distributed to a certain number of generators. The number of acting generators is determined by the output of actual operating wind stream at each moment. According to this constructive scheme, it is possible to provide effective and with maximum efficiency installation work in a wide range of wind speeds and under any schedule issued to the consumer of electricity. As there are no any experience in using such complexes, mathematical description of its main elements is given, namely windwheels, generators with electromagnetic excitation of magnetic electrical type, then their interaction with windwheel, and also the results of mathematical modeling of work system regimes under using the offered system of equations. The basis for the mathematical description of the main elements of the installation – synchronous generators – are the system of equations of electrical and mechanical equilibrium in relative units in rotating coordinates without considering saturation of the magnetic circuit. The equation of mechanical equilibrium systems includes torque and brake windwheel electromagnetic moments of generators with taking into account the reduction coefficients and friction. In addition, we specify the alternator rotor dynamics resulting from continuous torque of windwheel fluctuations under the influence of unsteady wind flow and wind speed serving as the original variable is modeled by a set of sinusoids. Model simplification is achieved by equivalization of similar generators and by disregarding these transitions with a small time constant. Calculation the installation with synchronous generators of two types of small and medium capacity taking into account the operational factors allowed us to demonstrate the logic of interactions in the main elements of the reported complex in the process of converting wind flow into the generated active and reactive power. We have shown the possibility of stable system work under changeable wind stream condition by regulating of the plant blade angle and with simultaneous varying of generator number of different types. All these are in great interest for project organizations and power producers.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1566
Author(s):  
Oliver J. Pemble ◽  
Maria Bardosova ◽  
Ian M. Povey ◽  
Martyn E. Pemble

Chitosan-based films have a diverse range of potential applications but are currently limited in terms of commercial use due to a lack of methods specifically designed to produce thin films in high volumes. To address this limitation directly, hydrogels prepared from chitosan, chitosan-tetraethoxy silane, also known as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and chitosan-glutaraldehyde have been used to prepare continuous thin films using a slot-die technique which is described in detail. By way of preliminary analysis of the resulting films for comparison purposes with films made by other methods, the mechanical strength of the films produced was assessed. It was found that as expected, the hybrid films made with TEOS and glutaraldehyde both show a higher yield strength than the films made with chitosan alone. In all cases, the mechanical properties of the films were found to compare very favorably with similar measurements reported in the literature. In order to assess the possible influence of the direction in which the hydrogel passes through the slot-die on the mechanical properties of the films, testing was performed on plain chitosan samples cut in a direction parallel to the direction of travel and perpendicular to this direction. It was found that there was no evidence of any mechanical anisotropy induced by the slot die process. The examples presented here serve to illustrate how the slot-die approach may be used to create high-volume, high-area chitosan-based films cheaply and rapidly. It is suggested that an approach of the type described here may facilitate the use of chitosan-based films for a wide range of important applications.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 318
Author(s):  
Paula García Milla ◽  
Rocío Peñalver ◽  
Gema Nieto

Moringa oleifera belongs to the Moringaceae family and is the best known of the native Moringa oleifera genus. For centuries, it has been used as a system of Ayurvedic and Unani medicine and has a wide range of nutritional and bioactive compounds, including proteins, essential amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, fibre, vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds, phytosterols and others. These characteristics allow it to have pharmacological properties, including anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, cardioprotective, antimicrobial and hepatoprotective properties. The entire Moringa oleifera plant is edible, including its flowers, however, it is not entirely safe, because of compounds that have been found mainly in the root and bark, so the leaf was identified as the safest. Moringa oleifera is recognised as an excellent source of phytochemicals, with potential applications in functional and medicinal food preparations due to its nutritional and medicinal properties; many authors have experimented with incorporating it mainly in biscuits, cakes, brownies, meats, juices and sandwiches. The results are fascinating, as the products increase their nutritional value; however, the concentrations cannot be high, as this affects the organoleptic characteristics of the supplemented products. The aim of this study is to review the application of Moringa oleifera in bakery products, which will allow the creation of new products that improve their nutritional and functional value.


Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Hanbo Zhao ◽  
Yujia Chu ◽  
Jiang Feng ◽  
Keping Sun

Abstract High-frequency hearing is particularly important for echolocating bats and toothed whales. Previously, studies of the hearing-related genes Prestin, KCNQ4, and TMC1 documented that adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing has taken place in echolocating bats and toothed whales. In this study, we present two additional candidate hearing-related genes, Shh and SK2, that may also have contributed to the evolution of echolocation in mammals. Shh is a member of the vertebrate Hedgehog gene family and is required in the specification of the mammalian cochlea. SK2 is expressed in both inner and outer hair cells, and it plays an important role in the auditory system. The coding region sequences of Shh and SK2 were obtained from a wide range of mammals with and without echolocating ability. The topologies of phylogenetic trees constructed using Shh and SK2 were different; however, multiple molecular evolutionary analyses showed that those two genes experienced different selective pressures in echolocating bats and toothed whales compared to non-echolocating mammals. In addition, several nominally significant positively selected sites were detected in the non-functional domain of the SK2 gene, indicating that different selective pressures were acting on different parts of the SK2 gene. This study has expanded our knowledge of the adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing in echolocating mammals.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0272989X2110190
Author(s):  
Ilyas Khan ◽  
Liliane Pintelon ◽  
Harry Martin

Objectives The main objectives of this article are 2-fold. First, we explore the application of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods in different areas of health care, particularly the adoption of various MCDA methods across health care decision making problems. Second, we report on the publication trends on the application of MCDA methods in health care. Method PubMed was searched for literature from 1960 to 2019 in the English language. A wide range of keywords was used to retrieve relevant studies. The literature search was performed in September 2019. Articles were included only if they have reported an MCDA case in health care. Results and Conclusion The search yielded 8,318 abstracts, of which 158 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were considered for further analysis. Hybrid methods are the most widely used methods in health care decision making problems. When it comes to single methods, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is the most widely used method followed by TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution), multiattribute utility theory, goal programming, EVIDEM (evidence and value: impact on decision making), evidential reasoning, discrete choice experiment, and so on. Interestingly, the usage of hybrid methods has been high in recent years. AHP is most widely applied in screening and diagnosing and followed by treatment, medical devices, resource allocation, and so on. Furthermore, treatment, screening and diagnosing, medical devices, and drug development and assessment got more attention in the MCDA context. It is indicated that the application of MCDA methods to health care decision making problem is determined by the nature and complexity of the health care problem. However, guidelines and tools exist that assist in the selection of an MCDA method.


Author(s):  
Mamou Diallo ◽  
Servé W. M. Kengen ◽  
Ana M. López-Contreras

AbstractThe Clostridium genus harbors compelling organisms for biotechnological production processes; while acetogenic clostridia can fix C1-compounds to produce acetate and ethanol, solventogenic clostridia can utilize a wide range of carbon sources to produce commercially valuable carboxylic acids, alcohols, and ketones by fermentation. Despite their potential, the conversion by these bacteria of carbohydrates or C1 compounds to alcohols is not cost-effective enough to result in economically viable processes. Engineering solventogenic clostridia by impairing sporulation is one of the investigated approaches to improve solvent productivity. Sporulation is a cell differentiation process triggered in bacteria in response to exposure to environmental stressors. The generated spores are metabolically inactive but resistant to harsh conditions (UV, chemicals, heat, oxygen). In Firmicutes, sporulation has been mainly studied in bacilli and pathogenic clostridia, and our knowledge of sporulation in solvent-producing or acetogenic clostridia is limited. Still, sporulation is an integral part of the cellular physiology of clostridia; thus, understanding the regulation of sporulation and its connection to solvent production may give clues to improve the performance of solventogenic clostridia. This review aims to provide an overview of the triggers, characteristics, and regulatory mechanism of sporulation in solventogenic clostridia. Those are further compared to the current knowledge on sporulation in the industrially relevant acetogenic clostridia. Finally, the potential applications of spores for process improvement are discussed.Key Points• The regulatory network governing sporulation initiation varies in solventogenic clostridia.• Media composition and cell density are the main triggers of sporulation.• Spores can be used to improve the fermentation process.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Hu Li ◽  
Raffaello Papadakis

Graphene is a material with outstanding properties and numerous potential applications in a wide range of research and technology areas, spanning from electronics, energy materials, sensors, and actuators to life-science and many more. However, the insolubility and poor dispersibility of graphene are two major problems hampering its use in certain applications. Tethering mono-, di-, or even poly-saccharides on graphene through click-chemistry is gaining more and more attention as a key modification approach leading to new graphene-based materials (GBM) with improved hydrophilicity and substantial dispersibility in polar solvents, e.g., water. The attachment of (poly)saccharides on graphene further renders the final GBMs biocompatible and could open new routes to novel biomedical and environmental applications. In this review, recent modifications of graphene and other carbon rich materials (CRMs) through click chemistry are reviewed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Gosling ◽  
Oleg Makarovsky ◽  
Feiran Wang ◽  
Nathan D. Cottam ◽  
Mark T. Greenaway ◽  
...  

AbstractPristine graphene and graphene-based heterostructures can exhibit exceptionally high electron mobility if their surface contains few electron-scattering impurities. Mobility directly influences electrical conductivity and its dependence on the carrier density. But linking these key transport parameters remains a challenging task for both theorists and experimentalists. Here, we report numerical and analytical models of carrier transport in graphene, which reveal a universal connection between graphene’s carrier mobility and the variation of its electrical conductivity with carrier density. Our model of graphene conductivity is based on a convolution of carrier density and its uncertainty, which is verified by numerical solution of the Boltzmann transport equation including the effects of charged impurity scattering and optical phonons on the carrier mobility. This model reproduces, explains, and unifies experimental mobility and conductivity data from a wide range of samples and provides a way to predict a priori all key transport parameters of graphene devices. Our results open a route for controlling the transport properties of graphene by doping and for engineering the properties of 2D materials and heterostructures.


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