Underwater maneuvering of robotic sheets through buoyancy-mediated active flutter

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (53) ◽  
pp. eabe0637
Author(s):  
Junghwan Byun ◽  
Minjo Park ◽  
Sang-Min Baek ◽  
Jaeyoung Yoon ◽  
Woongbae Kim ◽  
...  

Falling leaves flutter from side to side due to passive and intrinsic fluid-body coupling. Exploiting the dynamics of passive fluttering could lead to fresh perspectives for the locomotion and manipulation of thin, planar objects in fluid environments. Here, we show that the time-varying density distribution within a thin, planar body effectively elicits minimal momentum control to reorient the principal flutter axis and propel itself via directional fluttery motions. We validated the principle by developing a swimming leaf with a soft skin that can modulate local buoyancy distributions for active flutter dynamics. To show generality and field applicability, we demonstrated underwater maneuvering and manipulation of adhesive and oil-skimming sheets for environmental remediation. These findings could inspire future intelligent underwater robots and manipulation schemes.

Author(s):  
R. A. Crowther

The reconstruction of a three-dimensional image of a specimen from a set of electron micrographs reduces, under certain assumptions about the imaging process in the microscope, to the mathematical problem of reconstructing a density distribution from a set of its plane projections.In the absence of noise we can formulate a purely geometrical criterion, which, for a general object, fixes the resolution attainable from a given finite number of views in terms of the size of the object. For simplicity we take the ideal case of projections collected by a series of m equally spaced tilts about a single axis.


Author(s):  
H.-J. Cantow ◽  
H. Hillebrecht ◽  
S. Magonov ◽  
H. W. Rotter ◽  
G. Thiele

From X-ray analysis, the conclusions are drawn from averaged molecular informations. Thus, limitations are caused when analyzing systems whose symmetry is reduced due to interatomic interactions. In contrast, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) directly images atomic scale surface electron density distribution, with a resolution up to fractions of Angstrom units. The crucial point is the correlation between the electron density distribution and the localization of individual atoms, which is reasonable in many cases. Thus, the use of STM images for crystal structure determination may be permitted. We tried to apply RuCl3 - a layered material with semiconductive properties - for such STM studies. From the X-ray analysis it has been assumed that α-form of this compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/m (AICI3 type). The chlorine atoms form an almost undistorted cubic closed package while Ru occupies 2/3 of the octahedral holes in every second layer building up a plane hexagon net (graphite net). Idealizing the arrangement of the chlorines a hexagonal symmetry would be expected. X-ray structure determination of isotypic compounds e.g. IrBr3 leads only to averaged positions of the metal atoms as there exist extended stacking faults of the metal layers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Baizhen Gao ◽  
Rushant Sabnis ◽  
Tommaso Costantini ◽  
Robert Jinkerson ◽  
Qing Sun

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.


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