Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) is widely used to characterize materials and determine transition temperatures and thermal expansion coefficients. Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) microcantilevers have been used for TMA. We have developed a micromachined probe that includes two embedded sensors: one for measuring the mechanical movement of the probe (deflection) and another for providing localized...

The Deckle Group is an ensemble that designs, builds and performs on electroacoustic drawing boards. These drawing surfaces are augmented with Satellite CCRMA BeagleBoards and Arduinos.[1] Piezo microphones are used in conjunction with other sensors to produce sounds that are coupled tightly to mark-making gestures. Position tracking is achieved with infra-red object tracking, conductive fabric...

Mechanosensory transduction underlies touch, hearing and proprioception and requires mechanosensitive channels that are directly gated by forces; however, the molecular identities of these channels remain largely elusive. A new study has identified Piezo1 and Piezo2 as a novel class of mechanosensitive channels.

Recently, piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesting devices have been developed to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Especially, it is well known that triboelectric nanogenerators have a simple structure and a high output voltage. However, whereas nanostructures improve the output of triboelectric generators, its fabrication process is still complicated and unfavorable i...

Several examples of sensors and actuators inherent in biological species are reviewed with emphasis on their mechanisms for a given set of stimuli. Examples include, action plants (Venus flytrap, Cucumber tendrils) and bamboo, and algae. Based on theses examples and their mechanisms, we designed artificial actuators, FGM piezo actuators and electroactive polymer actuators.

We report on ABB’s fiber-optic current and voltage transducers and their applications in high-voltage substations. We consider bulk-optics and all-fiber current sensors and voltage sensors that exploit the electro-optic effect in BGO and the piezo-electric effect in quartz.