Tunable seesaw-like 3D capacitive sensor for force and acceleration sensing

To address the resource-competing issue between high sensitivity and wide working range for a stand-alone sensor,development of capacitive sensors with an adjustable gap between two electrodes has been of growing interest.While several approaches have been developed to fabricate tunable capacitive sensors,it remains challenging to achieve,simultaneously,a broad range of tunable sensitivity and working range in a single device.In this work,a 3D capacitive sensor with a seesaw-like shape is designed and fabricated by the controlled compressive buckling assembly,which leverages the mechanically tunable configuration to achieve high-precision force sensing(resolution~5.22 nN)and unprecedented adjustment range(by~33 times)of sensitivity.The mechanical tests under different loading conditions demonstrate the stability and reliability of capacitive sensors.Incorporation of an asymmetric seesaw-like structure design in the capacitive sensor allows the acceleration measurement with a tunable sensitivity.These results suggest simple and low-cost routes to high-performance,tunable 3D capacitive sensors,with diverse potential applications in wearable electronics and biomedical devices.

Design of a Fuel Explosion-Based Chameleon-Like Soft Robot Aided by the Comprehensive Dynamic Model

Soft robotics have advantages over the traditional rigid ones to achieve the bending motion but face with challenges to realize the rapid and long-distance linear motion due to the lack of a suitable actuation system.In this paper,a new explosion-based soft robot is proposed to generate the axial fast extension by the explosion pressure.To support and predict the performance of this explosion-based soft robot,a novel dynamic model is developed by considering the change of working fluid(molecular numbers)and some unavoidable and influential factors in the combustion process.Then,based on the physical prototype,a set of experiments is conducted to test the performance of the explosion-based soft robot in performing the axial extensions,as well as to validate the model proposed in this article.It is found that the novel explosion-based soft robot can achieve rapid axial extension by the developed explosionbased actuation system.The explosion-based soft robot can achieve 41-mm displacement at a fuel mass of 180 mg.In addition,the proposed dynamic model can be validated with an average error of 1.5%.The proposed approach in this study provides a promising solution for future high-power density explosionbased soft robots.