Flexible Devices tagged posts

(a) Schematic demonstration of the system and the lifting process. The force and energy change involved are highlighted). (b) Hierarchical structure of silk fibers. The single silk fiber consists of tiny silk threads.

Spider silk offers new inspiration for artificial muscle technology. The silk of the Ornithoctonus Huwena spider demonstrates impressive weight-lifting abilities with efficient, water-driven actuation. The triggered stretching behavior of muscle is inherently based in geometry, characterized by a decrease in length and increase in volume (or vice versa) in response to a change in local environment, eg humidity or heat.

“Spider silk is a natural biological material with high sensitivity to water, which inspires us to study about the interaction between spider silk and water,” ...

UAlberta electrical engineering PhD student Gem Shoute (second from right) is the lead author on a research paper demonstrating a powerful new flexible transistor. The team: electrical engineering professor Doug Barlage, Triranta Muneshwar, Shoute and materials engineering professor Ken Cadien, published its work in Nature Communications. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Alberta

Engineering first with applications in displays to medical imaging and renewable energy production.The transistor is easily scaled and has power-handling capabilities at least 10X greater than commercially produced thin film transistors...