Ultrahigh thermoelectric properties of p‐type Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3)thin films with exceptional flexibility for wearable energy harvesting

Use of a flexible thermoelectric source is a feasible approach to realizing selfpowered wearable electronics and the Internet of Things.Inorganic thin films are promising candidates for fabricating flexible power supply,but obtaining highthermoelectric‐performance thin films remains a big challenge.In the present work,a p‐type Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3)thin film is designed with a high figure of merit of 1.11 at 393 K and exceptional flexibility(less than 5%increase in resistance after 1000 cycles of bending at a radius of∼5 mm).The favorable comprehensive performance of the Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3)flexible thin film is due to its excellent crystallinity,optimized carrier concentration,and low elastic modulus,which have been verified by experiments and theoretical calculations.Further,a flexible device is fabricated using the prepared p‐type Bi_(x)Sb_(2−x)Te_(3)and n‐type Ag_(2)Se thin films.Consequently,an outstanding power density of∼1028μWcm^(−2)is achieved at a temperature difference of 25 K.This work extends a novel concept to the fabrication of highperformance flexible thin films and devices for wearable energy harvesting.

Light-based 3D printing of stimulus-responsive hydrogels forminiature devices:recent progress and perspective

Miniature devices comprising stimulus-responsive hydrogels with high environmental adaptability are now considered competitive candidates in the fields of biomedicine,precise sensors,and tunable optics.Reliable and advanced fabricationmethods are critical formaximizing the application capabilities ofminiature devices.Light-based three-dimensional(3D)printing technology offers the advantages of a wide range of applicable materials,high processing accuracy,and strong 3D fabrication capability,which is suitable for the development of miniature devices with various functions.This paper summarizes and highlights the recent advances in light-based 3D-printed miniaturized devices,with a focus on the latest breakthroughs in lightbased fabrication technologies,smart stimulus-responsive hydrogels,and tunable miniature devices for the fields of miniature cargo manipulation,targeted drug and cell delivery,active scaffolds,environmental sensing,and optical imaging.Finally,the challenges in the transition of tunable miniaturized devices from the laboratory to practical engineering applications are presented.Future opportunities that will promote the development of tunable microdevices are elaborated,contributing to their improved understanding of these miniature devices and further realizing their practical applications in various fields.

Accelerated prediction of Cu-based single-atom alloy catalysts for CO_(2) reduction by machine learning

Various strategies,including controls of morphology,oxidation state,defect,and doping,have been developed to improve the performance of Cu-based catalysts for CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR),generating a large amount of data.However,a unified understanding of underlying mechanism for further optimization is still lacking.In this work,combining first-principles calculations and machine learning(ML)techniques,we elucidate critical factors influencing the catalytic properties,taking Cu-based single atom alloys(SAAs)as examples.Our method relies on high-throughput calculations of 2669 CO adsorption configurations on 43 types of Cu-based SAAs with various surfaces.Extensive ML analyses reveal that low generalized coordination numbers and valence electron number are key features to determine catalytic performance.Applying our ML model with cross-group learning scheme,we demonstrate the model generalizes well between Cu-based SAAs with different alloying elements.Further,electronic structure calculations suggest surface negative center could enhance CO adsorption by back donating electrons to antibonding orbitals of CO.Finally,several SAAs,including PCu,AgCu,GaCu,ZnCu,SnCu,GeCu,InCu,and SiCu,are identified as promising CO_(2)RR catalysts.Our work provides a paradigm for the rational design and fast screening of SAAs for various electrocatalytic reactions.

Improvement of the CFRP Mechanical Properties Using Taguchi Method to Optimize the Formation Conditions

Carbon fiber composites have high strength, high stiffness and light weight characteristics to apply to many fields, such as leisure, energy and transportation industries. The CFRP （carbon fiber reinforced polymers/plastics） composites made of carbon fibers as reinforcement and epoxy resins as matrix were prepared by drum winding process. Various parameters such as molding temperature, molding pressure and pressing time were selected as the pre-pregs were laminated to be the CFRP. The effects of fabricating parameters which affected the mechanical properties of CFRPs were analyzed by Taguchi method in this study. The results showed that molding temperature was the main factor to influence the mechanical properties of composites.

Untethered Micro/Nanorobots for Remote Sensing:Toward Intelligent Platform

Untethered micro/nanorobots that can wirelessly control their motion and deformation state have gained enormous interest in remote sensing applications due to their unique motion characteristics in various media and diverse functionalities.Researchers are developing micro/nanorobots as innovative tools to improve sensing performance and miniaturize sensing systems,enabling in situ detection of substances that traditional sensing methods struggle to achieve.Over the past decade of development,significant research progress has been made in designing sensing strategies based on micro/nanorobots,employing various coordinated control and sensing approaches.This review summarizes the latest developments on micro/nanorobots for remote sensing applications by utilizing the self-generated signals of the robots,robot behavior,microrobotic manipulation,and robot-environment interactions.Providing recent studies and relevant applications in remote sensing,we also discuss the challenges and future perspectives facing micro/nanorobots-based intelligent sensing platforms to achieve sensing in complex environments,translating lab research achievements into widespread real applications.

Feedback linearization of the nonlinear model of a small-scale helicopter

In order to design a nonlinear controller for small-scale autonomous helicopters, the dynamic characteristics of a model helicopter are investigated, and an integrated nonlinear model of a small-scale helicopter for hovering control is presented. It is proved that the nonlinear system of the small-scale helicopter can be transformed to a linear system using the dynamic feedback linearization technique. Finally, simulations are carried out to validate the nonlinear controller.

Global Synchronization of Stochastically Disturbed Memristive Neurodynamics via Discontinuous Control Laws

This paper presents the theoretical results on the master-slave (or driving-response) synchronization of two memristive neural networks in the presence of additive noise. First, a control law with a linear time-delay feedback term and a discontinuous feedback term is introduced. By utilizing the stability theory of stochastic differential equations, sufficient conditions are derived for ascertaining global synchronization in mean square using this control law. Second, an adaptive control law consisting of a linear feedback term and a discontinuous feedback term is designed to achieve global synchronization in mean square, and it does not need prior information of network parameters or random disturbances. Finally, simulation results are presented to substantiate the theoretical results. © 2014 Chinese Association of Automation.

Efficient Construction of B-Spline Curves with Minimal Internal Energy

In this paper,we propose an efficient method to construct energy-minimizing B-spline curves by using discrete mask method.The linear relations between control points are firstly derived for different energy-minimization problems,then the construction of B-spline curve with minimal internal energy can be addressed by solving a sparse linear system.The existence and uniqueness of the solution for the linear system are also proved.Experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed approach,and its application in 1 G blending curve construction is also presented.

Integration of uniform design and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization to the robust design for a railway vehicle suspension system under different wheel conicities and wheel rolling radii

This paper proposes a systematic method, integrating the uniform design (UD) of experiments and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO), to solve the problem of a robust design for a railway vehicle suspension system. Based on the new nonlinear creep model derived from combining Hertz contact theory, Kalker's linear theory and a heuristic nonlinear creep model, the modeling and dynamic analysis of a 24 degree-of-freedom railway vehicle system were investigated. The Lyapunov indirect method was used to examine the effects of suspension parameters, wheel conicities and wheel rolling radii on critical hunting speeds. Generally, the critical hunting speeds of a vehicle system resulting from worn wheels with different wheel rolling radii are lower than those of a vehicle system having original wheels without different wheel rolling radii. Because of worn wheels, the critical hunting speed of a running railway vehicle substantially declines over the long term. For safety reasons, it is necessary to design the suspension system parameters to increase the robustness of the system and decrease the sensitive of wheel noises. By applying UD and QPSO, the nominal-the-best signal-to-noise ratio of the system was increased from -48.17 to -34.05 dB. The rate of improvement was 29.31%. This study has demonstrated that the integration of UD and QPSO can successfully reveal the optimal solution of suspension parameters for solving the robust design problem of a railway vehicle suspension system.

A Strategy for Magnifying Vibration in High-Energy Orbits of a Bistable Oscillator at Low Excitation Levels

This work focuses on how to maintain a high-energy orbit motion of a bistable oscillator when subjected to a low level excitation. An elastic magnifier （EM） positioned between the base and the bistable oscillator is used to magnify the base vibration displacement to significantly enhance the output characteristics of the bistable oscillator. The dimensionless electromechanical equations of the bistable oscillator with an EM are derived, and the effects of the mass and stiffness ratios between the EM and the bistable oscillator on the output displacement are studied. It is shown that the jump phenomenon occurs at a lower excitation level with increasing the mass and stiffness ratios. With the comparison of the displacement trajectories and the phase portraits obtained from experiments, it is vMidated that the bistable oscillator with an EM can effectively oscillate in a high-energy orbit and can generate a superior output vibration at a low excitation level as compared with the bistable oscillator without an EM.

Improvement of fuel consumption and maintenance of heating furnaces using a modified heating pattern

This article studies the transient heat conduction in a slab when passing through various sections of the furnace, and focuses on the thickness of the scale layer formed on the slab. The transient heat conduction behavior of a slab in various sections of the heating furnace is analyzed using the Laplace transformation method, including the pre-heating zone, the first heating zone, the second heating zone, and the soaking zone. The heating pattern of the furnace is then modified to reduce fuel consumption. The simulation results show that the scale layer formed on the slab significantly influences the quality of the hot rolled coil formed, and how the furnace parameters affect the efficiency of the furnace and the quality of the coil.

Investigation of a Pressure Sensor with Temperature Compensation Using Two Concentric Wheatstone-Bridge Circuits

This study presents a silicon-based pressure sensor with temperature compensation. The eight piezoresistors were designed on the polycrystalline silicon membrane and constructed by two concentric Wheatstone-bridge circuits to perform two sets of sensors. The sensor in the central circuit measures the membrane deflection caused by the combined effects of pressure and temperature, while the outer one measures only the deflection caused by the working temperature. From this arrangement, it is reliable and accurate to measure the pressure by comparing the output signals from the two concentric Wheatstone-bridge circuits. The optimal positions of the eight piezoresistors were simulated by simulation software ANSYS. The investigated pressure sensor was fabricated by the micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) techniques. The measuring performance and an indication of the conventional single Wheatstone-bridge pressure sensor is easily affected under variation of different working temperature and causes a maximum absolute error up to 45.5%, while the double Wheatstone-bridge pressure sensor is able to compensate the error, and reduces it down to 1.13%. The results in this paper demonstrate an effective temperature compensation performance, and have a great performance and stability in the pressure measuring system as well.

On the Trends of Autonomous Unmanned Systems Research

In recent decades,academia and industry have put increasing attention and investment into the research and development of autonomous unmanned systems.An autonomous unmanned vehi-cle is a machine equipped with necessary data-processing units,sophisticated sensors,environment perception,automatic control,motion planning,task planning,mission management,and com-munication systems.

Simulation-based Optimal Design of α-β-γ-δ Filter

The existing third-order tracker known as α-β-γ-δ filter has been used for target tracking and predicting for years. The filter can track the target＇s position and velocity, but not the acceleration. To extend its capability, a new fourth-order target tracker called α-β-γ-δ filter is proposed. The main objective of this study was to find the optimal set of filter parameters that leads to minimum position tracking errors. The tracking errors between using the α-β-γ-δ filter and the α-β-γ-δ filter are compared. As a result, the new filter exhibits significant improvement in position tracking accuracy over the existing third-order filter, but at the expense of computational time in search of the optimal filter. To reduce the computational time, a simulation-based optimization technique via Taguchi method is introduced.

Global robust stabilization of feedforward systems with uncertainties

This paper studies the global robust stabilization problem for a class of feedforward systems that is subject to both dynamic and time-varying static uncertainties. A small gain theorem-based bottom-up recursive design is developed for constructing a nested saturation control law. At each recursion, two versions of small gain theorem with restrictions are employed to establish the global attractiveness and local stability of the closed-loop system at the equilibrium point, respectively.

Design and voice‐based control of a nasal endoscopic surgical robot

In traditional nasal surgery,surgeons are prone to fatigue and jitter by holding the endoscope for a long‐time.Some complex operations require assistant surgeon to assist with holding the endoscope.To address the above problems,the authors design a remote centre of motion based nasal robot,and propose a voice‐based robot control method.First,through the operation space analysis of nasal surgery,the design scheme of the robot based on RCM mechanism is proposed.On this basis,the design parameters of the robot are analysed to complete the entire design of robot.Then,considering that the surgeon's hands are occupied by surgical instruments during complex surgical operations,a voice‐based robot control method is proposed.This method obtains direction instructions from surgeons by analysing the movement of the endoscopic image.Afterward,a commercial speech recognition interface is used to realise the offline grammar controlwords lib compatible with both Chinese and English,and the overall strategy of robot control is proposed.Finally,an experimental platform for virtual robot control is established,and the voice‐based robot control experiment is performed.The results show that the proposed voice‐based control method is feasible,and it provides guidance for the subsequent development and control of the actual robot system.

A Telepresence-Guaranteed Control Scheme for Teleoperation Applications of Transferring Weight-Unknown Objects

Currently,most teleoperation work is focusing on scenarios where slave robots interact with unknown environments.However,in some fields such as medical robots or rescue robots,the other typical teleoperation application is precise object transportation.Generally,the object’s weight is unknown yet essential for both accurate control of the slave robot and intuitive perception of the human operator.However,due to high cost and limited installation space,it is unreliable to employ a force sensor to directly measure the weight.Therefore,in this paper,a control scheme free of force sensor is proposed for teleoperation robots to transfer a weight-unknown object accurately.In this scheme,the workspace mapping between master and slave robot is firstly established,based on which,the operator can generate command trajectory on-line by operating the master robot.Then,a slave controller is designed to follow the master command closely and estimate the object’s weight rapidly,accurately and robust to unmodeled uncertainties.Finally,for the sake of telepresence,a master controller is designed to generate force feedback to reproduce the estimated weight of the object.In the end,comparative experiments show that the proposed scheme can achieve better control accuracy and telepresence,with accurate force feedback generated in only 500 ms.

Kansei Engineering Applied to the Form Design of Injection Molding Machines

This study investigated the relationship between a subject’s evaluation of injection molding machines (IMMs) and formal design features using Kansei engineering. This investigation used 12 word pairs to evaluate the IMM configurations and employed the semantic differential method to explore the perception of 60 interviewees of 12 examples. The relationship between product feature design and corresponding words was derived by multiple regression analysis. Factor analysis reveals that the 12 examples can be categorized as two styles—advanced style and succinct style. For the advanced style, an IMM should use a rectangular form for the clamping-unit cover and a full-cover for the injection-unit. For the succinct style, the IMM configuration should use a beveled form for the safety cover and a vertical rectangular form for the clamping-unit cover. Quantitative data and suggested guidelines for the relationship between design features and interviewee evaluations are useful to product designers when formulating design strategies.

An Angle Trajectory Tracking for a 3-DOF Pneumatic Motion Platform by the NI Compact RIO Embedded System

An angle trajectory tracking of a 3-DOF （Degree Of Freedom） pneumatic motion platform by the NI Compact RIO control system was investigated. In this study, the positions of moving platform are changed by extension or shortening of the three pneumatic cylinders. The response of pneumatic cylinder is relatively slow for motor actuator and can get a good single-axis trajectory control by traditional P controller, but the trajectory tracking of platform has a delay phenomenon for angle instantly larger change. To improve this situation in this study, Fuzzy system is used in the trajectory pre-compensation. By the angle changes and the angle rates of change in Fuzzy systems, the value of a pre-compensation output and each axis value are calculated using the Jacobian matrix after compensation in each axis. Through experiments, this Fuzzy pre-compensation method is proved to be able to improve the delay situation of angle trajectory tracking.

Effect of wire tension on different output responses during wire electric discharge machining on AISI 304 stainless steel

WEDM is used in machining conductive materials where it is required to obtained complicated and intricate shapes with high accuracy.Various applications are in the field of automobile,medical industries,aerospace etc.WEDM is an economical machining option with short product development cycle.Surface roughness,kerf width,Material removal rate,Recast layer hardness and surface microhardness in WEDM are most important responses.In this paper,effect of varied Wire tension on SR,KW,MRR,RCL hardness and surface microhardness on AISI 304 have been investigated.Pulse on time,pulse off time,current and dielectric fluid are taken as fixed parameter.Results show that Wire tension influences the SR,MRR and Surface microhardness and has no effect on kerf width in case of Stainless steel304.