An Origami-Inspired Reconfigurable Suction Gripper for Picking Objects with Variable Shape and Size

Gripper adaptability to handle objects of different shape and size brings high flexibility to manipulation. Gripping flat, round, or narrow objects poses challenges to even the most sophisticated robotic grippers. Among various gripper technologies, the vacuum suction grippers provide design simplicity, yet versatility at low cost, however, their application is limited to their fixed shape and size. Here, we present an origami-inspired reconfigurable suction gripper to address adaptability with robotic suction grippers. Constructed from rigid and soft components and driven by compact shape memory alloy actuators, the gripper can effectively self-fold into three shape modes to pick large and small flat, narrow cylindrical, triangular and spherical objects. The 10-g few centimeters gripper, lifts loads up to 5 N, 50 times its weight. We also present an under-actuated prototype, demonstrating the versatility of our design and actuation methods

Integration of highly crystalline C8-BTBT thin-films into simple logic gates and circuits

Highly crystalline organic thin films possess the charge carrier mobilities needed for high-performance, low-cost flexible electronics. However, only few reports exist that show the integration of these films into short-channel organic circuits. This work describes the integration of highly crystalline layers of the thermally and chemically fragile small molecule C8-BTBT. Thin films of this material are processed by a combination of zone-casting and homoepitaxial vacuum evaporation and display an average charge carrier mobility of 7.5 cm2/V in long channel transistors. The integration of these films into a circuit technology based on a 5 μm channel-length bottom-gate bottom-contact transistor topology results in inverters with gains up to 40 as well as a robust 19-stage ring oscillator. This circuit requires the simultaneous operation of 80 TFTs and displays a stage delay of 40 μs, resulting in an operating frequency of 630 Hz at an operating voltage of 10 V. With the help of circuit modelling, we quantify the relationship between the speed of ring oscillators and the contact resistance of individual transistors. Indeed, the successful integration of highly-crystalline layers with high intrinsic mobility stresses the need for advances in contact engineering

Inelastic Photoproduction of J/Psi Mesons at HERA

An analysis of inelastic photoproduction of J/Psi mesons is presented using data collected at the ep collider HERA corresponding to an integrated luminosity of above 80pb-1. Differential and double differential cross sections are measured in a wide kinematic region: 60<W_gammap<260 GeV, 1<p_t^2< 60 GeV^2 and 0.05<z<0.9, where z is the fraction of the energy of the exchanged photon transferred to the J/Psi meson in the rest frame of the target proton. Cross sections at z<0.3 are presented for the first time. Theoretical calculations within the Colour Singlet Model at NLO for direct photon processes are shown to give a good description of the data in the medium z region (0.3<z<0.9) up to the highest p_t^2 values. A calculation using a k_t factorisation approach in LO in the Colour Singlet Model is also able to describe these data. The data in the full z range are also compared to LO calculations within a non-relativistic QCD framework including color octet and colour singlet contributions for direct and resolved photons. It seems possible to reconcile data and theory with modest contributions from colour octet processes. The polarisation of the J/Psi meson is measured as a function of z and p_t,psi and is reasonably described by the theoretical predictions.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures, 11 table

Reducing Influence of Bias Stress on AMOLED Displays by Driving in Linear Regime: a Sensitivity Perspective

We present analytical equations to calculate the sensitivity of AMOLED displays to degradation of the electric characteristics of both the transistor and OLED. These equations can be applied to any technology using 2T1C pixels. They show that digital driving is less sensitive to bias stress.status: publishe

Characteristics improvement of top-gate self-aligned amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors using a dual-gate control

In this work, we have reported dual-gate amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs), where a top-gate self-aligned TFTs has a secondary bottom gate and the TFT integration comprises only five mask steps. The electrical characteristics of a-IGZO TFTs under different gate control are compared. With the enhanced control of the channel with two gates connected together, parameters such as on current (ION), sub-threshold slope (SS−1), output resistance, and bias-stress instabilities are improved in comparison with single-gate control self-aligned a-IGZO TFTs. We have also investigated the applicability of the dual-gate a-IGZO TFTs in logic circuitry such as 19-stage ring oscillators.status: publishe

Digital current driving of AMOLED displays for improved uniformity and reduced power consumption

status: publishe

Designing flexible and stretchable circuits and displays

© 2015 Proceedings of the International Display Workshops. All rights reserved. All technologies on flexible and stretchable foils suffer from intrinsic parameter variation. Designing for these technologies must start from a detailed analysis of these variations. Mapping these variations on the different design topologies that can be used to design flexible circuits, enables to predict and optimize the soft yield of these circuits. This methodology has been applied to designs of organic and oxide RFID and NFC tags, microprocessors on foil and also integrated linedrivers for displays.status: publishe

Designing flexible and stretchable circuits and displays

\u3cp\u3eAll technologies on flexible and stretchable foils suffer from intrinsic parameter variation. Designing for these technologies must start from a detailed analysis of these variations. Mapping these variations on the different design topologies that can be used to design flexible circuits, enables to predict and optimize the soft yield of these circuits. This methodology has been applied to designs of organic and oxide RFID and NFC tags, microprocessors on foil and also integrated linedrivers for displays.\u3c/p\u3

Dual-Gate Self-Aligned a-IGZO TFTs using 5-Mask Steps

© 2015 Society for Information Display. We report a dual-gate (DG) self-aligned (SA) a-IGZO TFT process that comprises only five mask steps. The top-gate (TG) is self-aligned (SA) which enables the high speed operation. The secondary bottom-gate (BG) enables to improve parameters such as on-current (ION) and the sub-threshold slope (SS -1 ) substantially when both gates are connected together.status: publishe

Developing Organoids from Ovarian Cancer as Experimental and Preclinical Models

Ovarian cancer (OC) represents the most dismal gynecological cancer. Pathobiology is poorly understood, mainly due to lack of appropriate study models. Organoids, defined as self-developing three-dimensional in vitro reconstructions of tissues, provide powerful tools to model human diseases. Here, we established organoid cultures from patient-derived OC, in particular from the most prevalent high-grade serous OC (HGSOC). Testing multiple culture medium components identified neuregulin-1 (NRG1) as key factor in maximizing OC organoid development and growth, although overall derivation efficiency remained moderate (36% for HGSOC patients, 44% for all patients together). Established organoid lines showed patient tumor-dependent morphology and disease characteristics, and recapitulated the parent tumor's marker expression and mutational landscape. Moreover, the organoids displayed tumor-specific sensitivity to clinical HGSOC chemotherapeutic drugs. Patient-derived OC organoids provide powerful tools for the study of the cancer's pathobiology (such as importance of the NRG1/ERBB pathway) as well as advanced preclinical tools for (personalized) drug screening and discovery.status: publishe