At the University of Louisville J. B. Speed School of Engineering
Our paper “Wavelength specific excitation of gold nanoparticle thin films” came out and is available online. Working with gold nanoplates from our collaborators in the O’Toole group, we are looking at thermal expansion in thin films as a way to bend microscale beams. These nanoparticles can be highly wavelength selective. We found that we could …
Continue reading “Selective heating with two types of nanoparticles”
We are looking at thin-film beams embedded in flexible surfaces. Not only can these beams act as micro-switches, but they can quickly jump to a new shape if the curvature of the surface changes. Their “snap-through” behavior is controlled by the amount of compression put into the beam at fabrication time. The concept works for …
AES2013 Harnett plenary talk: Electrodes for microfluidic applications from cindyharnett
Here is a 3D printable inflatable actuator dipped in silicone to make it airtight. This could be an alternative to casting for making soft actuators. There are some annoying things about designing sensors and actuators, and sharing those designs. One big problem is getting everyone on a project set up with the right software to …
Continue reading “Design it online without installing anything”
Origami is showing up big time in deployable structures, as well as at the microscale. This symposium within the 2013 ASME conference in Portland was unusual both for the attendees’ various backgrounds, from math to aerospace to micro/nano engineering AND the amazing folded paper demos people brought along. “Flat folding” gets into some deep mathematics, …
Continue reading “Symposium on Origami-Based Engineering Design, Portland OR Aug 4-7”