High-power electrostatic actuators to realize artificial muscles

Electrostatic actuators are simple and lightweight devices that emulate human muscles. However, their usage has primarily been restricted to moving small devices since they need high voltages to generate significant forces. ...

New quantum phase discovered for developing hybrid materials

If you have ever watched water freeze to ice, you have witnessed what physicists call a "phase transition." Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have discovered an unprecedented phase transition during which crystals ...

A quantum pump without a crank

Pumps, in a nutshell, are devices that use cyclic motion to attain the steady transport of some cargo. In a bicycle pump, the repeated up and down strokes of a piston create air flow. In a Archimedean screw pump, water is ...

A new liquid crystal ink for 3D printing

Cholesteric liquid crystals, a man-made material with properties between liquids and solid crystals, can mimic the colors of butterfly wings. Liquid crystals are used in televisions and smartphones, but future applications ...

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