Problem statement: Underactuated finger mechanism is beneficial in the anthropomorphic applications in which it reduces the finger size, weight and power consumption due to the less number of actuators compared to its number of Degree Of Freedom (DOF). However, the currently existing underactuated finger is limited to grasping operations only and unable to pinch with the finger tip. Moreover, t...

BACKGROUND Mountain and road bike accidents are particularly common with the increased popularity of the sport. We reviewed the attendances in our emergency department over a 4-year period looking at cycling injuries to detect the level and grade of these injuries and their outcomes. METHOD Royal Blackburn Hospital caters for a population of 550 000. A search through the Hospital information ...

This study presents an innovative design of a microtab system for aerodynamic load control on horizontal-axis wind-turbine rotors. Microtabs are small devices located near the trailing edge of the rotor blades and enable a rapid increase or decrease of the lift force through deployment of the tabs on the pressure or suction side of the airfoil, respectively. The new system has been designed to ...

2 Sustainable and Infrastructure Research and Development Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, KhonKaen University, KhonKaen City, Thailand ABSTRACT: This paper presents the optimization of path generating of four-bar linkages using evolution algorithms (EAs). The design problem is assigned to minimize the error between desired and obtained coupler curves. Such ...

This paper presents a design procedure for six-bar linkages that use eight accuracy points to approximate a specified input-output function. In the kinematic synthesis of linkages, this is known as the synthesis of a function generator to perform mechanical computation. Our formulation uses isotropic coordinates to define the loop equations of the Watt II, Stephenson II, and Stephenson III six-...

The focal points of a curve traced by a planar linkage capture essential information about the curve. Knowledge of the singular foci can be helpful in the design of path-generating linkages and is essential to the determination of path cognates. This paper shows how to determine the singular foci of planar linkages built with rotational links. The method makes use of a general formulation of th...

The focal points of a curve traced by a planar linkage capture essential information about the curve. In a previous paper, we showed how to determine the singular foci of planar linkages from an expression for the tracing curve derived by use of the Dixon determinant. This paper gives an alternative approach to finding the singular foci, one that lends itself to simple geometric interpretations...

A series of microporous organic networks linked by α-hydroxyl ketone were synthesized based on benzoin self-condensation of multiformyl-containing building blocks. Fourier transform infrared and solid-state (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy were utilized to confirm the α-hydroxyl ketone linkage of the obtained polymers. The hollow microspheric morphology can be observed from scanning electron micro...