Soft Robotic Deployable Origami Actuators for Neurosurgical Brain Retraction

Metallic tools such as graspers, forceps, spatulas, and clamps have been used in proximity to delicate neurological tissue and the risk of damage to this tissue is a primary concern for neurosurgeons. Novel soft robotic technologies have the opportunity to shift the design paradigm for these tools towards safer and more compliant, minimally invasive methods. Here, we present a pneumatically actuated, origami-inspired deployable brain retractor aimed at atraumatic surgical workspace generation inside the cranial cavity. We discuss clinical requirements, design, fabrication, analytical modeling, experimental characterization, and in-vitro validation of the proposed device on a brain model.

An Eye Tracking based Aircraft Helmet Mounted Display Aiming System

<p>In this paper, we comprehensively present new advancements towards the working-principle, algorithm, prototype setup and experimental characterization and feasibility demonstration of a new aircraft helmet mounted display aiming system. More specifically, we describe detailed design methodology and algorithm of an eye tracking based HMD aiming system. We also present a proof-of-concept prototype and conduct experiment tests in lab environment to characterize the performance of the proposed system. Lastly, through a comparison with related works, we demonstrate the advantages of the proposed HMD system for free head movement and no additional light source required.</p>

An Eye Tracking based Aircraft Helmet Mounted Display Aiming System

<p>In this paper, we comprehensively present new advancements towards the working-principle, algorithm, prototype setup and experimental characterization and feasibility demonstration of a new aircraft helmet mounted display aiming system. More specifically, we describe detailed design methodology and algorithm of an eye tracking based HMD aiming system. We also present a proof-of-concept prototype and conduct experiment tests in lab environment to characterize the performance of the proposed system. Lastly, through a comparison with related works, we demonstrate the advantages of the proposed HMD system for free head movement and no additional light source required.</p>

Two-dimensional Stiefel-Whitney insulators in liganded Xenes

Two-dimensional (2D) Stiefel-Whitney insulator (SWI), which is characterized by the second Stiefel-Whitney class, is a class of topological phases with zero Berry curvature. As an intriguing topological state, it has been well studied in theory but seldom realized in realistic materials. Here we propose that a large class of liganded Xenes, i.e., hydrogenated and halogenated 2D group-IV honeycomb lattices, are 2D SWIs. The nontrivial topology of liganded Xenes is identified by the bulk topological invariant and the existence of protected corner states. Moreover, the large and tunable bandgap (up to 3.5 eV) of liganded Xenes will facilitate the experimental characterization of the 2D SWI phase. Our findings not only provide abundant realistic material candidates that are experimentally feasible but also draw more fundamental research interest towards the topological physics associated with Stiefel-Whitney class in the absence of Berry curvature.