Air bubbles could be the secret to artificial skin

(Phys.org) —Using foam substrates, EPFL scientists were able to make a flexible electronic circuit board. This discovery could lead to the creation of deformable and stretchable circuits.

Silicone liquid crystal stiffens with repeated compression

(Phys.org) —Squeeze a piece of silicone and it quickly returns to its original shape, as squishy as ever. But scientists at Rice University have discovered that the liquid crystal phase of silicone becomes 90 percent stiffer ...

Wearable technology can monitor rehabilitation

Wearable technology is not only for sports and fashion enthusiasts it can also be used to monitor and aid clinical rehabilitation according to new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BioMedical Engineering ...

Sunflowers inspire more efficient solar power system

(Phys.org) -- A field of young sunflowers will slowly rotate from east to west during the course of a sunny day, each leaf seeking out as much sunlight as possible as the sun moves across the sky through an adaptation called ...

Assessing an object's consistency without touching it

(Phys.org) -- Two teams of researchers have succeeded in evaluating the rigidity of a material … without touching it! To achieve this feat, physicists from the Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée ...

Artificial muscle as shock absorber

Engineers are working on intelligent materials that can diminish vibrations and extract power from the environment. These electro-active elastomers could dampen annoying vibrations in a car, for example, or supply wireless ...

Soft grip: Pneumatic elastomers as robotic arms

(PhysOrg.com) -- It looks like a starfish made of soft plastic. When air is blown into it through a thin tube it comes to life and the starfish closes like a hand. It does this so gently that it can grasp a raw egg without ...

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