Retardation of necking under biaxial stretching of bilayer plates comprised of an elastomer layer bonded to a metal layer is studied. Substantial increases in necking limits and consequent energy absorption can be achieved in metal–elastomer bilayers for both quasi-static and dynamic stretching. The phenomena is tied to the fact that under stretching the incremental modulus of the elastomer rem...

We use a phase-changing metal alloy to reversibly tune the elastic rigidity of an elastomer composite. The elastomer is embedded with a sheet of low-melting-point Field’s metal and an electric Joule heater composed of a serpentine channel of liquid-phase gallium–indium–tin (Galinstan R ) alloy. At room temperature, the embedded Field’s metal is solid and the composite remains elastically rigid....

Control of soft-bodied systems is challenging, as the absence of rigidity typically implies distributed deformations and infinite degrees-of-freedom. In this paper, we demonstrate closedloop control of three elastomer beams that vary in bending stiffness. The most stiff beam is comprised of a single prismatic structure made from a single elastomer. In the next beam, increased flexibility is int...

When encapsulated in elastomer, micropatterned traces of Ga-based liquid metal (LM) can function as elastically deformable circuit wiring that provides mechanically robust electrical connectivity between solid-state elements (e.g., transistors, processors, and sensor nodes). However, LM-microelectronics integration is currently limited by challenges in rapid fabrication of LM circuits and the c...

Liquid-phase electronic circuits are patterned on an elastomer substrate with a microcontact printer. The printer head dips into a pool of a liquid-phase gallium-indium alloy, e.g., eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) or gallium-indium-tin (Galinstan), and deposits a single drop on a silicone elastomer substrate. After patterned deposition, the liquid-phase circuit is sealed with an additional laye...

Dielectric Elastomer Actuators In article number 2213589, Kilwon Cho and co-workers report a flexible skin-mountable vibrotactile-stimulator based on thin lateral dielectric elastomer actuators. The actuator shows significant actuation at low operating voltage because of laterally aligned multilayer structure with short distance soft elastomer/ionic liquid composite. covers broad perception fre...

INTRODUCTION The effect of reducing gravity on locomotion has been studied using microgravity analogues. However, there is no known literature comparing locomotion in actual microgravity (AM) to locomotion in simulated microgravity (SM). METHODS Five subjects were tested while walking at 1.34 m x s(-1) and running at 3.13 m x s(-1) on a treadmill during parabolic flight and on a microgravity ...

BACKGROUND Colour degradation is a major problem in maxillofacial silicone elastomers. Recent studies have focused on colour stability and the mechanical properties of the silicone elastomers. A colour match is also essential for the acceptance of the prosthesis by the patient. The aim of this study is to assess the colour degradation of the silicone elastomer after being moulded in different c...