Differentiable Stripe Patterns for Inverse Design of Structured Surfaces

Stripe patterns are ubiquitous in nature and everyday life. While the synthesis of these patterns has been thoroughly studied in the literature, their potential to control the mechanics of structured materials remains largely unexplored. In this work, we introduce Differentiable Stripe Patterns -- a computational approach for automated design of physical surfaces structured with stripe-shaped bi-material distributions. Our method builds on the work by Knoppel and colleagues for generating globally-continuous and equally-spaced stripe patterns. To unlock the full potential of this design space, we propose a gradient-based optimization tool to automatically compute stripe patterns that best approximate macromechanical performance goals. Specifically, we propose a computational model that combines solid shell finite elements with XFEM for accurate and fully-differentiable modeling of elastic bi-material surfaces. To resolve non-uniqueness problems in the original method, we furthermore propose a robust formulation that yields unique and differentiable stripe patterns. %Finally, we introduce design space regularizers to avoid numerical singularities and improve stripe neatness We combine these components with equilibrium state derivatives into an end-to-end differentiable pipeline that enables inverse design of mechanical stripe patterns. We demonstrate our method on a diverse set of examples that illustrate the potential of stripe patterns as a design space for structured materials. Our simulation results are experimentally validated on physical prototypes.Comment: 14 page

Low Voltage Electrohydraulic Actuators for Untethered Robotics

Rigid robots can be precise in repetitive tasks but struggle in unstructured environments. Nature's versatility in such environments inspires researchers to develop biomimetic robots that incorporate compliant and contracting artificial muscles. Among the recently proposed artificial muscle technologies, electrohydraulic actuators are promising since they offer comparable performance to mammalian muscles in terms of speed and power density. However, they require high driving voltages and have safety concerns due to exposed electrodes. These high voltages lead to either bulky or inefficient driving electronics that make untethered, high-degree-of-freedom bio-inspired robots difficult to realize. Here, we present low voltage electrohydraulic actuators (LEAs) that match mammalian skeletal muscles in average power density (50.5 W/kg) and peak strain rate (971 percent/s) at a driving voltage of just 1100 V. This driving voltage is approx. 5 - 7 times lower compared to other electrohydraulic actuators using paraelectric dielectrics. Furthermore, LEAs are safe to touch, waterproof, and self-clearing, which makes them easy to implement in wearables and robotics. We characterize, model, and physically validate key performance metrics of the actuator and compare its performance to state-of-the-art electrohydraulic designs. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of our actuators on two muscle-based electrohydraulic robots: an untethered soft robotic swimmer and a robotic gripper. We foresee that LEAs can become a key building block for future highly-biomimetic untethered robots and wearables with many independent artificial muscles such as biomimetic hands, faces, or exoskeletons.Comment: Stephan-Daniel Gravert and Elia Varini contributed equally to this wor

Etude électromécanique de nanofils piézoélectriques semi conducteurs. Application aux capteurs et recuperateurs d’énergie mecaniques

Les systèmes intelligents sont le résultat combiné de différentes avancées en microélectronique et en particulier de l’augmentation des puissances de calcul, la diminution des consommations d’énergie, l'ajout de nouvelles fonctionnalités et de moyens de communication et en particulier à son intégration et application dans notre vie quotidienne. L'évolution du domaine des systèmes intelligents est prometteuse, et les attentes sont élevées dans de nombreux domaines : pour la surveillance dans l'industrie, les transports, les infrastructures et l'environnement, ainsi que dans le logement, l'électronique grand public et les services de soins de santé, mais aussi dans les applications pour la défense et l’aérospatial. Aujourd’hui, l'intégration de plus en plus de fonctions dans les systèmes intelligents les conduisent vers un problème énergétique où l'autonomie devient le principal problème. Par conséquent, il existe un besoin croissant en capteurs autonomes et sources d'alimentation. Le développement de dispositifs de récupération d’énergie et de capteurs autoalimentés est une façon de répondre à ce problème énergétique. Parmi les technologies étudiées, la piézoélectricité a l'avantage d'être compatible avec l'industrie des MEMS. De plus elle génère des tensions élevées et elle possède un fort couplage direct entre les physiques mécaniques et électriques. Parmi les matériaux piézoélectriques, les nanofils (NFs) semi-conducteurs piézoélectriques pourraient être une option prometteuse car ils présentent des propriétés piézoélectriques plus importantes et une plus grande gamme de flexion.Parmi les différents NFs piézoélectriques, les NFs de ZnO et de GaN sont les plus étudiés. A l'échelle nanométrique leurs propriétés piézoélectriques sont plus que doublées. Ils ont l'avantage d'être compatible avec l’industrie microélectronique et raisonnablement synthétisable par des approches top-down et bottom-up. En particulier, nous avons étudié la croissance par voie chimique de NFs de ZnO. Pour les utiliser correctement, nous avons étudié le comportement des NFs de ZnO. Nous avons effectué une étude analytique et des simulations par éléments finis (FEM) d'un NF de ZnO en flexion. Ces études décrivent la distribution du potentiel piézoélectrique en fonction de la force et permettent d’établir les règles d'échelle et de dimensionnement. Ensuite, nous avons développé la caractérisation mécanique par AFM du module de Young de NFs de ZnO et de GaN, puis nous avons effectué des caractérisations piézoélectriques par AFM de ces NFs pour vérifier leur comportement sous des contraintes mécaniques de type flexion. Une fois leur comportement physique compris, nous discutons des limites de notre modèle de NFs piézoélectriques en flexion et nous développons un modèle plus réaliste et plus proche des configurations expérimentales. En utilisant ce nouveau modèle, nous avons évalué le potentiel des NFs de ZnO pour les capteurs de force et de déplacement en mesurant le potentiel généré sous une contrainte, puis, sur la base d’expériences, nous avons évalué l'utilisation de NFs de GaN pour les capteurs de force en mesurant le courant au travers des NFs contraints. De même, nous avons évalué le potentiel de ces NFs pour les applications de récupération d'énergie liées aux capteurs autonomes. Pour bien comprendre la problématique, nous avons étudié l’état de l’art des nano générateurs (NG) et leurs architectures potentielles. Nous analysons leurs avantages et inconvénients, afin de définir une structure de NG de référence. Après une brève étude analytique de cette structure pour comprendre son fonctionnement et les défis, nous avons effectué plusieurs simulations FEM pour définir des voies d'optimisation pour les NG utilisé en mode de compression ou de flexion. Enfin la fabrication de prototypes et leurs caractérisations préliminaires sont présentées.Smart systems are the combined result of different advances in microelectronics leading to an increase in computing power, lower energy consumption, the addition of new features, means of communication and especially its integration and application into our daily lives. The evolution of the field of smart systems is promising, and the expectations are high in many fields: Industry, transport, infrastructure and environment monitoring as well as housing, consumer electronics, health care services but also defense and space applications. Nowadays, the integration of more and more functions in smart systems is leading to a looming energy issue where the autonomy of such smart systems is beginning to be the main issue. Therefore there is a growing need for autonomous sensors and power sources. Developing energy harvesters and self-powered sensors is one way to address this energy issue. Among the technologies studied, piezoelectricity has the advantage to be compatible with the MEMS industry, it generates high voltages and it has a high direct coupling between the mechanic and electric physics. Among the piezoelectric materials, semiconductor piezoelectric nanowires (NWs) could be a promising option as they exhibit improved piezoelectric properties and higher maximum flexion.Among the different piezoelectric NWs, ZnO and GaN NWs are the most studied, their piezoelectric properties are more than doubled at the nanoscale. They have the advantage of being IC compatible and reasonably synthesizable by top-down and bottom-up approaches. Especially we studied the hydrothermal growth of ZnO NWs. In order to use them we studied the behavior of ZnO NWs. We performed analytical study and FEM simulations of a ZnO NW under bending. This study explains the piezoelectric potential distribution as a function of the force and is used to extract the scaling rules. We have also developed mechanical AFM characterization of the young modulus of ZnO and GaN NWs. Following we perform piezoelectric AFM characterization of these NWs, verifying the behavior under bending stresses. Once physics understood, we discuss limitation of our piezoelectric NWs models and a more realistic model is developed, closer to the experimental configurations. Using this model we evaluated the use of ZnO NW for force and displacement sensors by measuring the potential generated, and from experiments, the use of GaN NW for force sensor by measuring the current through the NW. But energy harvesting is also necessary to address the energy issue and we deeper investigate this solution. To fully understand the problematic we study the state of the art of nanogenerator (NG) and their potential architectures. We analyze their advantages and disadvantages in order to define a reference NG structure. After analytical study of this structure giving the basis for a deeper understanding of its operation and challenges, FEM simulations are used to define optimization routes for a NG working in compression or in bending. The fabrication of prototypes and theirs preliminary characterization is finally presented

Electromechanical study of semiconductor piezoelectric nanowires. Application to mechanical sensors and energy harvesters

Smart systems are the combined result of different advances in microelectronics leading to an increase in computing power, lower energy consumption, the addition of new features, means of communication and especially its integration and application into our daily lives. The evolution of the field of smart systems is promising, and the expectations are high in many fields: Industry, transport, infrastructure and environment monitoring as well as housing, consumer electronics, health care services but also defense and space applications. Nowadays, the integration of more and more functions in smart systems is leading to a looming energy issue where the autonomy of such smart systems is beginning to be the main issue. Therefore there is a growing need for autonomous sensors and power sources. Developing energy harvesters and self-powered sensors is one way to address this energy issue. Among the technologies studied, piezoelectricity has the advantage to be compatible with the MEMS industry, it generates high voltages and it has a high direct coupling between the mechanic and electric physics. Among the piezoelectric materials, semiconductor piezoelectric nanowires (NWs) could be a promising option as they exhibit improved piezoelectric properties and higher maximum flexion.Among the different piezoelectric NWs, ZnO and GaN NWs are the most studied, their piezoelectric properties are more than doubled at the nanoscale. They have the advantage of being IC compatible and reasonably synthesizable by top-down and bottom-up approaches. Especially we studied the hydrothermal growth of ZnO NWs. In order to use them we studied the behavior of ZnO NWs. We performed analytical study and FEM simulations of a ZnO NW under bending. This study explains the piezoelectric potential distribution as a function of the force and is used to extract the scaling rules. We have also developed mechanical AFM characterization of the young modulus of ZnO and GaN NWs. Following we perform piezoelectric AFM characterization of these NWs, verifying the behavior under bending stresses. Once physics understood, we discuss limitation of our piezoelectric NWs models and a more realistic model is developed, closer to the experimental configurations. Using this model we evaluated the use of ZnO NW for force and displacement sensors by measuring the potential generated, and from experiments, the use of GaN NW for force sensor by measuring the current through the NW. But energy harvesting is also necessary to address the energy issue and we deeper investigate this solution. To fully understand the problematic we study the state of the art of nanogenerator (NG) and their potential architectures. We analyze their advantages and disadvantages in order to define a reference NG structure. After analytical study of this structure giving the basis for a deeper understanding of its operation and challenges, FEM simulations are used to define optimization routes for a NG working in compression or in bending. The fabrication of prototypes and theirs preliminary characterization is finally presented.Les systèmes intelligents sont le résultat combiné de différentes avancées en microélectronique et en particulier de l’augmentation des puissances de calcul, la diminution des consommations d’énergie, l'ajout de nouvelles fonctionnalités et de moyens de communication et en particulier à son intégration et application dans notre vie quotidienne. L'évolution du domaine des systèmes intelligents est prometteuse, et les attentes sont élevées dans de nombreux domaines : pour la surveillance dans l'industrie, les transports, les infrastructures et l'environnement, ainsi que dans le logement, l'électronique grand public et les services de soins de santé, mais aussi dans les applications pour la défense et l’aérospatial. Aujourd’hui, l'intégration de plus en plus de fonctions dans les systèmes intelligents les conduisent vers un problème énergétique où l'autonomie devient le principal problème. Par conséquent, il existe un besoin croissant en capteurs autonomes et sources d'alimentation. Le développement de dispositifs de récupération d’énergie et de capteurs autoalimentés est une façon de répondre à ce problème énergétique. Parmi les technologies étudiées, la piézoélectricité a l'avantage d'être compatible avec l'industrie des MEMS. De plus elle génère des tensions élevées et elle possède un fort couplage direct entre les physiques mécaniques et électriques. Parmi les matériaux piézoélectriques, les nanofils (NFs) semi-conducteurs piézoélectriques pourraient être une option prometteuse car ils présentent des propriétés piézoélectriques plus importantes et une plus grande gamme de flexion.Parmi les différents NFs piézoélectriques, les NFs de ZnO et de GaN sont les plus étudiés. A l'échelle nanométrique leurs propriétés piézoélectriques sont plus que doublées. Ils ont l'avantage d'être compatible avec l’industrie microélectronique et raisonnablement synthétisable par des approches top-down et bottom-up. En particulier, nous avons étudié la croissance par voie chimique de NFs de ZnO. Pour les utiliser correctement, nous avons étudié le comportement des NFs de ZnO. Nous avons effectué une étude analytique et des simulations par éléments finis (FEM) d'un NF de ZnO en flexion. Ces études décrivent la distribution du potentiel piézoélectrique en fonction de la force et permettent d’établir les règles d'échelle et de dimensionnement. Ensuite, nous avons développé la caractérisation mécanique par AFM du module de Young de NFs de ZnO et de GaN, puis nous avons effectué des caractérisations piézoélectriques par AFM de ces NFs pour vérifier leur comportement sous des contraintes mécaniques de type flexion. Une fois leur comportement physique compris, nous discutons des limites de notre modèle de NFs piézoélectriques en flexion et nous développons un modèle plus réaliste et plus proche des configurations expérimentales. En utilisant ce nouveau modèle, nous avons évalué le potentiel des NFs de ZnO pour les capteurs de force et de déplacement en mesurant le potentiel généré sous une contrainte, puis, sur la base d’expériences, nous avons évalué l'utilisation de NFs de GaN pour les capteurs de force en mesurant le courant au travers des NFs contraints. De même, nous avons évalué le potentiel de ces NFs pour les applications de récupération d'énergie liées aux capteurs autonomes. Pour bien comprendre la problématique, nous avons étudié l’état de l’art des nano générateurs (NG) et leurs architectures potentielles. Nous analysons leurs avantages et inconvénients, afin de définir une structure de NG de référence. Après une brève étude analytique de cette structure pour comprendre son fonctionnement et les défis, nous avons effectué plusieurs simulations FEM pour définir des voies d'optimisation pour les NG utilisé en mode de compression ou de flexion. Enfin la fabrication de prototypes et leurs caractérisations préliminaires sont présentées

High Force Density Textile Electrostatic Clutch

Clutches are key elements for blocking or coupling motion in wearable systems such as soft exoskeletons, haptic clothing, and rehabilitation equipment. Electrostatic clutches (ESclutches) are compact and light, making them particularly well-suited for wearable applications. They are variable capacitors whose electrodes can slide with respect to each other, with a frictional force between electrodes proportional to the square of the applied voltage. A high force-density textile-based ESclutch is reported here, generating frictional shear stresses of 21 N cm(-2) at only 300 V, a stress level 11 times higher than any other ESclutch, and 88 times better than textile-based ESclutches. Actuation and release time are inferior to 5 and 15 ms. Power consumption is below 1.2 mW cm(-2). To reach such high frictional stresses, a dielectric material with high permittivity is chosen (P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE)), a fabrication process that enables highly planar dielectric and conductive films on textile is developed, and an alternating current waveform is optimized to minimize space charge. The ESclutch is thin, highly flexible, and weighs only 30 mg cm(-2). The device demonstrated here is designed for wearable applications such as kinesthetic haptic feedback for virtual reality or for soft exoskeletons

Electrostatic brake-based haptic device

The present disclosure relates to a device including electrostatic brakes providing haptic kinaesthetic feedback to a user in e.g. assistive, rehabilitation or virtual reality scenarios, as well as tele-manipulation

Glove- and Sleeve-Format Variable-Friction Electrostatic Clutches for Kinesthetic Haptics

Clothing with integrated high-force actuators enables wearable haptics for immersive virtual reality (VR) and enables soft exoskeletons for rehabilitation or human augmentation. Electrostatic clutches (ESClutches) offer a very-low-energy solution to block motion and are mm thin. Challenges for ESClutches in wearables are 1) effective integration in clothing to accurately block body motion while ensuring comfort, 2) well-controlled sliding for variable stiffness rendering, and 3) adaptation to shoulder or hip joints. Here, the control of sliding friction of soft ESClutches is demonstrated, using materials that enable both integration in textile and efficient force transfer to the user. We present a 1.3 mm-thick soft glove with five ESClutches, providing up to 50 N of kinesthetic feedback per finger. A clutch in a thin haptic sleeve that controls elbow extension is reported. Eight cable-format ESClutches on a shoulder are shown, selectively blocking multiple degrees of freedom. VR tests demonstrate that the glove and the sleeve give the user the ability to rank the softness and weight of virtual objects. In a teleoperation scenario, the glove enables the user to remotely feel an object's stiffness. The ESClutches and textile integration pave a path toward socially acceptable and comfortable kinesthetic haptics

Multimode Hydraulically Amplified Electrostatic Actuators for Wearable Haptics

The sense of touch is underused in today’s virtual reality systems due to lack of wearable, soft, mm-scale transducers to generate dynamic mechanical stimulus on the skin. Extremely thin actuators combining both high force and large displacement are a long-standing challenge in soft actuators. Sub-mm thick flexible hydraulically amplified electrostatic actuators are reported here, capable of both out-of-plane and in-plane motion, providing normal and shear forces to the user’s fingertip, hand, or arm. Each actuator consists of a fluid-filled cavity whose shell is made of a metalized polyester boundary and a central elastomer region. When a voltage is applied to the annular electrodes, the fluid is rapidly forced into the stretchable region, forming a raised bump. A 6 mm × 6 mm × 0.8 mm actuator weighs 90 mg, and generates forces of over 300 mN, out-of-plane displacements of 500 μm (over 60% strain), and lateral motion of 760 μm. Response time is below 5 ms, for a specific power of 100 W kg−1. In user tests, human subjects distinguished normal and different2-axis shear forces with over 80% accuracy. A flexible 5 × 5 array is demonstrated, integrated in a haptic sleeve

Wearable Soft Technologies for Haptic Sensing and Feedback

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) systems have garnered recent widespread attention due to increased accessibility, functionality, and affordability. These systems sense user inputs and typically provide haptic, audio, and visual feedback to blend interactive virtual environments with the real world for an enhanced or simulated reality experience. With applications ranging from immersive entertainment, to teleoperation, to physical therapy, further development of this technology has the potential for impact across multiple disciplines. However, VR/AR devices still face critical challenges that hinder integration into everyday life and additional applications; namely, the rigid and cumbersome form factor of current technology that is incompatible with the dynamic movements and pliable limbs of the human body. Recent advancements in the field of soft materials are uniquely suited to provide solutions to this challenge. Devices fabricated from flexible and elastic bio-compatible materials have significantly greater compatibility with the human body and could lead to a more natural VR/AR experience. This review reports state-of-the-art experimental studies in soft materials for wearable sensing and haptic feedback in VR/AR applications, explores emerging soft technologies for on-body devices, and identifies current challenges and future opportunities toward seamless integration of the virtual and physical world

Scaling prospects in mechanical energy harvesting with piezo nanowires

The combination of 3D processing technologies, low power circuits and new materials integration makes it conceivable to build autonomous integrated systems, which would harvest their energy from the environment. In this paper, we focus on mechanical energy harvesting and discuss its scaling prospects toward the use of piezoelectric nanostructures, able to be integrated in a CMOS environment. It is shown that direct scaling of present MEMS-based methodologies would be beneficial for high-frequency applications only. For the range of applications which is presently foreseen, a different approach is needed, based on energy harvesting from direct real-time deformation instead of energy harvesting from vibration modes at or close to resonance. We discuss the prospects of such an approach based on simple scaling rule