ENGINEERING AROUND THE WORLD

Kiriform structures

1-MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SERGI ALBET Consultor digital Col·legiat 14.416 @sergialbet

© Universitat de Harvard

The deployable structures known as kiriform are those that transform from a compact state to an expanded one. Engineers at Harvard University have developed a deployable system which is light, compact, cheap and easy to make. They take advantage of mechanical instabilities to convert objects into 3D shapes in a broad range of sizes, from large-scale furniture items to tiny medical devices. Kiriform structures combine engineering and design to create improved products.

Source: Harvard University https://bit.ly/3tV7aYq

3-ROBOTICS ENGINEERING

Robots that pick products

A former engineering student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has founded a company to develop picking robots. These robots are able to identify a specific object, pic kit up and move it to another place. This activity is a fairly mundane task for humans, but requires a combination of special gripping tools, artificial intelligence and automatic vision in robots. This kind of robot is deployed to optimize the process of purchasing an object.

© MIT

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology https://news.mit.edu/2021/ righthand-robotics-0701

2-ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Nature’s key to extending the lifespan of batteries

The naturally occurring structure found in leaves may offer a way to improve the performance of rechargeable batteries, according to engineers at the University of Cambridge. These researchers have designed a porous material with a vascular system resembling the structure of leaves, which can make energy transfer more efficient. This material can improve the performance of rechargeable batteries by optimizing the process of charging and discharging, and by reducing the stress on the battery electrodes, which is one of the factors that restricts their working life.

Source: University of Cambridge https://bit.ly/3hr64R2

© Universitat de Cambridge

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1.ENGINYERIA MECÀNICA

Enginyers de la Universitat de Harvard han creat unes estructures desplegables, anomenades kiriform, que aprofiten les inestabilitats mecàniques per transformar objectes en 3D en una àmplia gamma de productes, des de mobles fins a petits dispositius. Aquestes estructures tenen la capacitat de passar d’un estat compacte a un d’ampliat sense esforç.

2. ENGINYERIA ELÈCTRICA

Un nou material porós que utilitza una estructura vascular, similar a les venes d’una fulla, pot ser clau per allargar la vida de les bateries recarregables. L’han descobert uns enginyers de la Universitat de Cambridge. L’objectiu d’aquest material és que serveixi per optimitzar el procés de càrrega i descàrrega i alleugerir les tensions dels elèctrodes de la bateria.

3. ROBÒTICA

Una empresa de robòtica, fundada per un exalumne del MIT, ha desenvolupat robots que identifiquen els productes, els agafen i els col·loquen a un altre lloc. Aquesta tasca és força dificultosa per a les màquines, que necessiten una combinació de disseny de pinces especials, intel·ligència artificial i visió automàtica per poder-ho portar a terme.