Hiroshima University
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Kirigami-inspired solar cells can track the sun without motors
Researchers at the University of Michigan announced on Wednesday that they have developed a method of keeping solar cells turned toward the sun without the need for heavy and energy-hungry motors. Their method is based on the Japanese art of Kirigami -- like origami but with cuts in addition to folds. The team's panel is printed on a flexible kapton substrate which has dash-like cuts running across its surface. When stretched, the panel forms a mesh with each section twisting slightly. The degree of twist, which will allow the panel to follow the path of the sun, depends on how much the panel is stretched. "The design takes what a large tracking solar panel does and condenses it into something that is essentially flat," Aaron Lamoureux, lead author on the paper published in Nature Communications, said in a release.
This origami-inspired emergency bridge accordions into shape
Eat your heart out, GI Joe Bridge Layer. A team from the Graduate School of Engineering in Hiroshima University has developed a temporary and portable bridge design that unfolds itself like an accordion across damaged or missing spans. It's being touted as the "fastest, largest, strongest and lightest" expanding bridge on Earth.
Not all exoskeletons need motors to boost your strength
Robotic exoskeletons have their place, but not everyone needs to curl cinder blocks. You may just want to recover from an injury, for instance, or safely lift things on the job. Enter the "Sensorimotor Enhancing Suit (SEnS)" from Hiroshima University and Georgia Tech researchers. "Sensorimotor" refers to the relationship between muscles and nerves -- when your muscles strain to list heavy objects, they have a harder time sensing movement. The suit pulls off the double trick of reducing muscle load in your upper body and improving lifting coordination, without the cost and complexity of batteries and motors.
