Urban Andes

Climate change in the Andes is affecting the relation between urban development and the landscape. Design-led explorations are reframing landscape logics and urbanisation patterns within the Cachi River Basin of Ayacucho, Peru. A co-production of students, researchers and designers, the book suggests alternative futures, crossing scales of landscape systems to new settlement typologies. Urban Andes marks the start of the new series LAP on innovative design research in architecture, urbanism, and landscape. It is the result of a two-year collaboration (2018–2020), initiated by the CCA in cooperation with KU Leuven and various partners, including local organisations and the VLIR-UOS.

Modular Robotic Design and Reconfiguring Path Planning

The modular robot is becoming a prevalent research object in robots because of its unique configuration advantages and performance characteristics. It is possible to form robot configurations with different functions by reconfiguring functional modules. This paper focuses on studying the modular robot’s configuration design and self-reconfiguration process and hopes to realize the industrial application of the modular self-reconfiguration robot to a certain extent. We design robotic configurations with different DOF based on the cellular module of the hexahedron and perform the kinematic analysis of the structure. An innovative design of a modular reconfiguration platform for conformational reorganization is presented, and the collaborative path planning between different modules in the reconfiguration platform is investigated. We propose an optimized ant colony algorithm for reconfiguration path planning and verify the superiority and rationality of this algorithm compared with the traditional ant colony algorithm for platform path planning through simulation experiments.

Innovative Design Methodology for Patient-Specific Short Femoral Stems

The biomechanical performance of hip prostheses is often suboptimal, which leads to problems such as strain shielding, bone resorption and implant loosening, affecting the long-term viability of these implants for articular repair. Different studies have highlighted the interest of short stems for preserving bone stock and minimizing shielding, hence providing an alternative to conventional hip prostheses with long stems. Such short stems are especially valuable for younger patients, as they may require additional surgical interventions and replacements in the future, for which the preservation of bone stock is fundamental. Arguably, enhanced results may be achieved by combining the benefits of short stems with the possibilities of personalization, which are now empowered by a wise combination of medical images, computer-aided design and engineering resources and automated manufacturing tools. In this study, an innovative design methodology for custom-made short femoral stems is presented. The design process is enhanced through a novel app employing elliptical adjustment for the quasi-automated CAD modeling of personalized short femoral stems. The proposed methodology is validated by completely developing two personalized short femoral stems, which are evaluated by combining in silico studies (finite element method (FEM) simulations), for quantifying their biomechanical performance, and rapid prototyping, for evaluating implantability.

Optical metasurfaces towards multifunctionality and tunability

Optical metasurfaces is a rapidly developing research field driven by its exceptional applications for creating easy-to-integrate ultrathin planar optical devices. The tight confinement of the local electromagnetic fields in resonant photonic nanostructures can boost many optical effects and offer novel opportunities for the nanoscale control of light–matter interactions. However, once the structure-only metasurfaces are fabricated, their functions will be fixed, which limits it to make breakthroughs in practical applications. Recently, persistent efforts have led to functional multiplexing. Besides, dynamic light manipulation based on metasurfaces has been demonstrated, providing a footing ground for arbitrary light control in full space-time dimensions. Here, we review the latest research progress in multifunctional and tunable metasurfaces. Firstly, we introduce the evolution of metasurfaces and then present the concepts, the basic principles, and the design methods of multifunctional metasurface. Then with more details, we discuss how to realize metasurfaces with both multifunctionality and tunability. Finally, we also foresee various future research directions and applications of metasurfaces including innovative design methods, new material platforms, and tunable metasurfaces based metadevices.

Integrated Product, Process and Manufacturing System Development for Multifunctional Micromachine Tool

Novel practices in the formation of students are encouraged to be multidisciplinary which in fact, allows them to better understand the behaviour of systems. This skill allows them to identify existing needs that impact multiple areas, both for an organization and to complement their entrepreneurial training. In this work, there is exposed a reference framework that arose to aid in the innovative design process among the manufacturing sector, it seeks to stretch the gap between conceptualization and implementation for engineering projects. Furthermore, the formation of the learners is enriched due to the breakdown of complex systems into entities as it gathers existing knowledge and provides structure to systematize the development process, allocate problems and provide feedback. Thus, design stages are detailed, engineering stages are described, and a toolbox is presented to guide designers into their task. The methodology has been tested under multidisciplinary projects in different time lapses, observing a positive impact in the formation of participants, as it guarantees the inclusion of desired attributes, documentation and milestones in the scenario being developed. In this article, there are described three case studies. Findings when developing using the methodology shows a structural, documented process followed by the designers, capable of recognizing the abilities acquired and reinforced skills, documented entities corresponding to what is developed at the end of the projects and time of deployment is enhanced.

PR41_Breadboard Study of a Flexible High-Data Rate Transceiver Architecture (NNX16AD14G-Y2)

We experimentally study the breadboard implementation of an optical high-data rate transceiver architecture, which is based on an innovative design which generates a flexible number of communication streams from a single laser. Summary of a Project Outcomes report of research funded by NASA.

PR40_Designing Integrated Silicon Photonics Flexible High-Data Rate Transceivers (NNX16AD14G-Y1)

We study a transceiver architecture, which is based on an innovative design which generates a flexible number of communication streams from a single laser. This approach can achieve reductions in size, weight, and energy consumption, and improvements on link performance and bandwidth compared to both RF communications and existing optical technologies Summary of a Project Outcomes report of research funded by NASA.

High flowrate microreactors integrating in situ grown ZnO nanowires for photocatalytic degradation

A high-volume, low-pressure microfluidic photocatalytic microreactor was created and demonstrated here. This high-flowrate microreactor, based on an innovative design developed by the start-up Eden Tech, was produced by a simple...

Synergy between iron oxide sites and nitrogen-doped carbon xerogel/diamond matrix for boosting the oxygen reduction reaction

The innovative design and facile synthesis of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are crucial in the field of fuel cells.