振荡凝胶能使机器人有“触觉”
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2012-03-30 03:26 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Sooner than later, robots may have the ability to "feel." In a paper published online March 26 in Advanced Functional1 Materials, a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) demonstrated that a nonoscillating(非振荡) gel can be resuscitated2 in a fashion similar to a medical cardiopulmonary resuscitation3(心脏复苏术) . These findings pave the way for the development of a wide range of new applications that sense mechanical stimuli4 and respond chemically -- a natural phenomenon few materials have been able to mimic5.

A team of researchers at Pitt made predictions regarding the behavior of Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) gel, a material that was first fabricated in the late 1990s and shown to pulsate6 in the absence of any external stimuli. In fact, under certain conditions, the gel sitting in a petri dish(有盖培养皿) resembles a beating heart.

Along with her colleagues, Anna Balazs, Distinguished7 Professor of Chemical and Petroleum8 Engineering in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, predicted that BZ gel not previously9 oscillating could be re-excited by mechanical pressure. The prediction was actualized by MIT researchers, who proved that chemical oscillations can be triggered by mechanically compressing the BZ gel beyond a critical stress.

"Think of it like human skin, which can provide signals to the brain that something on the body is deformed10 or hurt," says Balazs. "This gel has numerous far-reaching applications, such as artificial skin that could be sensory12 -- a holy grail in robotics."

Balazs says the gel could serve as a small-scale pressure sensor11 for different vehicles or instruments to see whether they'd been bumped, providing diagnostics for the impact on surfaces. This sort of development -- and materials like BZ gel -- are things Balazs has been interested in since childhood.

"My mother would often tease me when I was young, saying I was like a mimosa plant -- shy and bashful," says Balazs. "As a result, I became fascinated with the plant and its unique hide-and-seek qualities -- the plant leaves fold inward and droop13 when touched or shaken, reopening just minutes later. I knew there had to be a scientific application regarding touch, which led me to studies like this in mechanical and chemical energy."

Also on Balazs's research team were Olga Kuksenok, research associate professor, and Victor Yashin, visiting research assistant professor, both in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering. At MIT, the work was performed by Krystyn Van Vliet, Paul M. Cook Career Development Associate Professor of Material Sciences and Engineering, and graduate student Irene Chen.

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army.



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 functional 5hMxa     
adj.为实用而设计的,具备功能的,起作用的
参考例句:
  • The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了,但现在可以用了。
  • The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的,只是为了实用。
2 resuscitated 9b8fc65f665bf5a1efb0fbae2f36c257     
v.使(某人或某物)恢复知觉,苏醒( resuscitate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The doctor resuscitated the man who was overcome by gas. 医生救活了那个煤气中毒的人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She had been literally rejuvenated, resuscitated, brought back from the lip of the grave. 她确确实实返老还童了,恢复了精力,被从坟墓的进口处拉了回来。 来自辞典例句
3 resuscitation hWhxC     
n.复活
参考例句:
  • Despite attempts at resuscitation,Mr Lynch died a week later in hospital.虽经全力抢救,但林奇先生一周以后还是在医院去世了。
  • We gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and heart massage.我们对他进行了口对口复苏救治和心脏按摩。
4 stimuli luBwM     
n.刺激(物)
参考例句:
  • It is necessary to curtail or alter normally coexisting stimuli.必需消除或改变正常时并存的刺激。
  • My sweat glands also respond to emotional stimuli.我的汗腺对情绪刺激也能产生反应。
5 mimic PD2xc     
v.模仿,戏弄;n.模仿他人言行的人
参考例句:
  • A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
  • He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。
6 pulsate 3Slxn     
v.有规律的跳动
参考例句:
  • Hues of purplish,rose and amber begin to pulsate in the sky.淡紫色的、玫瑰色的和琥珀色的色调开始在天空中微微颤动起来。
  • Building facades pulsate with millions of lights and glowing neon display.在千万灯光和霓虹灯的照耀下,建筑物的外墙规律地闪动着。
7 distinguished wu9z3v     
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
参考例句:
  • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
  • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
8 petroleum WiUyi     
n.原油,石油
参考例句:
  • The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
  • The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
9 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
10 deformed iutzwV     
adj.畸形的;变形的;丑的,破相了的
参考例句:
  • He was born with a deformed right leg.他出生时右腿畸形。
  • His body was deformed by leprosy.他的身体因为麻风病变形了。
11 sensor sz7we     
n.传感器,探测设备,感觉器(官)
参考例句:
  • The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
  • He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。
12 sensory Azlwe     
adj.知觉的,感觉的,知觉器官的
参考例句:
  • Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
  • The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。
13 droop p8Zyd     
v.低垂,下垂;凋萎,萎靡
参考例句:
  • The heavy snow made the branches droop.大雪使树枝垂下来。
  • Don't let your spirits droop.不要萎靡不振。
TAG标签: feel robots oscillations
发表评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:点击我更换图片