At the 10th Keio Techno-Mall in December 2009, the Aoyama-Kakinuma Laboratory presented its research on nano-micromachining based on production engineering, and electro-adhesive elastomers. In the field of nano-micromachining technology, the Lab suggests fabricating micro-fluid chips using cryogenic cooling.
Forming grooves in viscoelastic polymer materials isnt possible using conventional room-temperature machining. The Aoyama-Kakinuma Lab has succeeded in forming micro-grooves with such high precision that the chips can be checked, by machining at very low temperatures. The Lab is also working to develop such machines for making micro-fluidic chips. Recently, the researchers have succeeded in developing a system for estimating and monitoring cutting force, which had previously been monitored with external sensors, using only internal sensors in the machine.
Q. "Weve developed technology that can measure the force without using sensors at all. So if that technology is built into processing machines, itll enable next-generation, ultra-precise processing machines that can sense the force. Were developing hybrid control for position and force applying our proposed sensing technology. Here, motion is only allowed in the direction of 45 degrees. This machine uses two forms of hybrid control: it senses the force in the 45 degree direction, and controls the position in the opposite 45 degree direction. This research has been selected as a NEDO project, so were currently focusing hard on it."
In research on electro-adhesive elastomers, the Lab has developed multiple disk brakes, utilizing the fact that these materials instantly become adhesive when an electric field is applied.
Q. "This blue sheet on the aluminum plate is a material that changes its adhesiveness when electricity is applied. We place another aluminum electrode on top of it, to make the top and bottom plus and minus. Now, the sheet is moving, but when we apply electricity, it stops moving. Its just as if the front surface of sellotape became the back, and the stickiness on the back became stronger, like that of duct tape."
The Aoyama-Kakinuma Lab has applied this effect to multiple disk brakes, and built an adhesion control system that could be described as a tactile display. The tactile display can control viscosity virtually, to create waterish and sticky sensations.
Q. "If you move it slowly, you dont feel any force at all, but if you move it quickly, it feels heavy. In other words, this device creates a situation like when you move slowly in a swimming pool. I think there are a variety of applications for adhesiveness that can be changed using electricity. For example I think this could be used to develop devices such as brakes, dampers, and clutches."
Негізгі бет Ғылым және технология Next-generation system design using micro- and nano-scale functional materials
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