The material of seashell nacre is of great interest to material scientists due to its superior mechanical properties and unique bio-compatibility. Natural seashell nacre consists of about 95% of aragonite (a mineral form of CaCO3) and a few percent of biological macromolecules; yet its work of fracture is about three orders of magnitude higher than its mineral constituency. The superior strengt...

The structures in nature are great lessons for human study. Having been in development for several billion years, only the most successful structural forms have survived. The resourcefulness of material use, the underlying structural systems and the profound capacity to respond to a variety of climatic and environmental forces make natural form tremendous exemplars to human architectures. The w...

“Pretouch” refers to sensing modalities that are intermediate in range between touch and vision. This paper describes two pretouch senses we have created (electric field and seashell effect), and discusses the use of pretouch in manipulation.

In this study, acrylated soybean oil (AESO) was used as modifying agent for DGEBF-type epoxy resin (ER). AESO was used as a co-matrix in 50 wt % with ER. Composites with ecofriendly natural fillers-banana bark and seashell were prepared. MNA was used as a hardener. Effect of banana peel (BP) and seashell (SSh) fillers on mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, elongation at break, and ...

The term “Pretouch” refers to sensing modalities that are shorter range than vision but longer range than tactile sensing. The hypothesis that pretouch sensing can be useful for manipulation is being explored actively [1][2][3][4][5]. It is viewed as potentially beneficial for manipulation because it provides reliable geometric information in the last centimeter before contact. The disadvantage...