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Worldwide Electroactive Polymers WW-EAP Newsletter, Vol. 16, No. 1, June 2014 (The 31th issue) WorldWide ElectroActive Polymers EAP (Artificial Muscles) Newsletter Vol. 16, No. 1 (31th issue) WW-EAP Newsletter June 2014 http://eap.jpl.nasa.gov FROM THE EDITOR As in recent years, this Smart Structure Yoseph Bar-Cohen, [email protected] Symposium included also the conference about This issue reports the latest progress in the fields of Biomimetics and this year the San Diego Zoo Electroactive Polymers (EAP) and biomimetics. presented a Tamandua, which is an Anteater The recent years’ growth of the field of EAP has (Figure 1). been quite well reflected in the number of papers that were submitted for presentation at the 2014 LIST OF CONTENTS SPIE EAPAD Conference that was held on March FROM THE EDITOR ..................................................... 1 10, 2014 in San Diego as part of the Smart GENERAL NEWS.......................................................... 2 Structures Symposium. It is pleasing to see that it Apple patent application - EAP actuator of iPhone camera 2 reached a record of 139 papers. Another significant Parker Acquired EAP IP and Licenses of AMI ................. 2 UPCOMING CONFERENCES ...................................... 2 accomplishment in the field of EAP is the 2015 SPIE EAPAD Conference ...................................... 2 University of Texas at Dallas’s developed Carbon- 15th International Symposium on Electrets (ISE15) ......... 2 Based Tensile and Torsional Artificial Muscles that RECENT CONFERENCES ............................................ 3 were presented and demonstrated at the SPIE 2014 SPIE EAPAD Conference ...................................... 3 EAPAD Conference. US-Japan Workshop .................................................... 10 EuroEAP 2014 conference ........................................... 11 ADVANCES IN EAP ................................................... 12 Aero. Eng.-Propul./MEMS - Independent Researcher ..... 12 Biomimetics Lab’s Submarine ...................................... 12 Leap Technology, Denmark ......................................... 13 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ................ 13 University of the West of England ................................ 14 NEW BOOKS ............................................................... 15 Ocean Innovation - Biomimetics beneath the waves ....... 15 FUTURE CONFERENCES .......................................... 16 EAP ARCHIVES .......................................................... 16 Biomimetics books series ............................................. 16 Books about robotics ................................................... 17 Figure 1: The Tamandua (Lesser Anteater) that was shown at the Biomimetics Conf. 1 WW-EAP Newsletter, Vol. 16, No. 1, June 2014 (The 31th issue) GENERAL NEWS strengthen Parker’s smart material The WW-EAP Webhub http://eap.jpl.nasa.gov is development capabilities for use in a broad continually being updated with information range of applications including ultra-low regarding the EAP activity worldwide. This power, wired, wireless and disposable sensors Webhub is a link of the JPL’s NDEAA Webhub of and ultra-low power, quiet and lightweight the Advanced Technologies Group having the actuators, pumps and valves. address: http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov Apple patent application - EAP actuator of iPhone camera UPCOMING CONFERENCES On June 19, 2014, the U.S. Patent and Trademark 2015 SPIE EAPAD Conference Office published a patent application that was filed The 17th SPIE’s EAPAD conference is going to be by Apple Corp. The patent covers a method of held March 9-12, 2015, in San Diego, California. making an actuator of an iPhone camera lens that This Conference is going to be chaired by Yoseph controls the focus and the aperture size using EAP Bar-Cohen, JPL, and Co-chaired by Gal deBotton, rather than conventional motors. The disclosed Ben-Gurion Univ. of the Negev, Israel. The invention involves the use of micro electro- Conference Program Committee consists of mechanical system (MEMS) design and an EAP representatives from 27 countries and they are make layer. Further information can be read at from most continents. http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/06/19/apple- The papers will focus on issues that help invents-iphone-camera-lens-actuator-made-of- transitioning EAP to practical use thru better artificial-muscle understanding of the principles responsible for the electro-mechanical behavior, analytical modeling, Parker Acquired EAP IP and Licenses of improved materials and their processing methods, AMI characterization of the properties and performance Andrew Cheng [email protected] as well as various applications. At the EAPAD 2015, the Keynote Speaker is In a press release that was issued on Monday, going to be Brett Kennedy, Group Supervisor, June 23, 2014, Parker Hannifin Corporation Robotic Vehicles & Manipulators, Jet Propulsion has announced that it purchased intellectual Lab (JPL), Pasadena, CA. Brett will review and property and licenses from Bayer cover the progress in robotics for planetary MaterialScience LLC and its Artificial Muscle applications. Incorporated (AMI) business unit. This As in past years, an EAPAD course will be given on Sunday, March 8, 2015, and the EAP-in- purchase will allow Parker to use EAP Action Session will be held on Monday, March 9, technology to expand its smart sensor and 2015. The call for papers is posted at: actuator products and services. Parker http://spie.org/x12233.xml Hannifin Corporation is traded on the NY Stock Exchange and it is a global leader in 15th International Symposium on motion and control technologies. Parker will Electrets (ISE15) be seeking to use AMI’s proprietary smart The 15th International Symposium on Electrets material technology to improve performance (ISE15) will be held at Johns Hopkins University, and efficiency of its new and existing Baltimore, USA, from Aug. 10 to 13, 2014. The products and services for use in medical General Chair is Qiming Zhang, Pennsylvania State University; and the General Vice Chair is Axel devices, remote monitoring and industrial Mellinger, Central Michigan University. systems. The use of EAP technology will 2 WW-EAP Newsletter, Vol. 16, No. 1, June 2014 (The 31th issue) The conference will cover a wide range of RECENT CONFERENCES topics related to electrets, including fundamental research and applications. It is a unique meeting 2014 SPIE EAPAD Conference th opportunity for scientists and engineers from all The 16 SPIE’s EAPAD conference was held over the world working in the field of electrical March 10-13, 2014, in San Diego, California. This engineering, materials science and engineering, Conference was chaired by Yoseph Bar-Cohen, condensed matter physics and chemistry, and a JPL, and Co-chaired by Barbar J. Akle, Lebanese chance for communicating about recent advances American University, Lebanon. The Conference and research and development efforts in these areas. included 138 oral and poster papers and this has It also provides a forum for in-depth discussions been the highest number of papers that has ever between the most experienced and established been presented at the SPIE’s EAPAD Conferene. scientists and engineers and young researchers. The The Conference Program Committee consisted of conference is sponsored by the IEEE Dielectrics representatives from 27 countries. and Electrical Insulation Society and is held every The papers were focused on issues that help three years in different locations around the world. transitioning EAP to practical use thru better The Conference Topics include understanding of the principles responsible for the • Charge (injection/formation, transport, trapping, electro-mechanical behavior, improved materials, measurement) related phenomena in analytical modeling, methods processing, • dielectrics characterization of the properties and performance • Dielectric and electronical responses of as well as various applications. dielectrics under high electric field At the EAPAD 2014, the Keynote Speaker has • Soft actuators & sensors been Robert F. Shepherd, Cornell Univ. (Figure 2), • Ferro-/piezo-electric phenomena in polymers and and he reviewed and covered the progress towards organics/biomaterials faster and higher torque actuators for soft robotics. • Applications of organic and polymer based ferro- Shepherd is an assistant professor at Cornell /piezo-electric materials University in the Department of Mechanical & • Energy storage in dielectrics and ionic materials Aerospace Engineering with a Field Appointment in • Electrocaloric and pyroelectric materials Material Science & Engineering. He received both • Electrets for energy harvesting: principle, design, his B.S. and Ph.D. in Material Science from The characterization, and applications University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where he • Electrets and functional polymers in organic developed polymeric and colloidal inks for 3D electronics printers, as well as microfluidic devices that • Non-linear electrical & optical effects, generate granular material via photolithography. photoelectrets Following his PhD, Shepherd was a Postdoctoral • Electrostatic and dielectric phenomena in life Fellow at the Department of Chemistry & Chemical science/bioelectrets Biology at Harvard University (studying under • Electro-electrets: dielectric-elastomer transducers George M. Whitesides) where he developed • Nanoscale characterization of electrostatic, pneumatically powered soft machines composed of dielectric and
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