When a spherical conducting bead is placed in an electrode, it experiences an electric force. In a plane capacitor, it can undergo a periodic bouncing between the electrodes. Using a fast video camera, we measured the acceleration of the bead and the period of its motion as a function of the applied voltage. A mathematical model based on the hypothesis of electrostatic equilibrium is proposed t...

This proposed thesis topic aims to combine automated planning and hybrid control techniques. In this paper we describe a particular case study in this direction: the development of a quadruped bouncing gait with four qualitative states, quad-stance, touch-off, flight, and touchdown. Our approach is novel in that gait achievement is defined in terms of flexible constraint windows in statespace a...

In a set of experiments, Couder et al. demonstrate that an oscillating fluid bed may propagate a bouncing droplet through the guidance of the surface waves. I present a dynamical systems model, in the form of an iterative map, for a droplet on an oscillating bath. I examine the droplet bifurcation from bouncing to walking, and prescribe general requirements for the surface wave to support stabl...

Human observers may perceive not only spatial and temporal dimensions of the environment, but also dynamic physical properties that are useful for the control of behavior. A study is presented in which visual and auditory perception of elasticity in bouncing objects, which was specified by kinematic (spatiotemporal) patterns of object motion, were examined. In experiment 1, observers could perc...

A skilled string performer is able to play a series of spiccato notes (short strokes played by a bouncing bow) with each onset showing little or no aperiodic motion before a regular slip/stick pattern (Helmholtz motion) is triggered. Kinematic analysis reveals that a well-behaving bow gives nearly vertical impacts on the string, and that the first slip of each note takes place when the normal b...

In addition to vision, audition plays an important role in sound localization in our world. One way we estimate the motion of an auditory object moving towards or away from us is from changes in volume intensity. However, the human auditory system has unequally distributed spatial resolution, including difficulty distinguishing sounds in front vs. behind the listener. Here, we introduce a novel...

One of the central paradigms for classical and quantum chaos in conservative systems is the two-dimensional billiard in which particles are confined to a closed region in the plane, undergoing elastic collisions with the walls and free motion in between. We report the first realization of billiards using ultracold atoms bouncing off beams of light. These beams create the desired spatial pattern...

Daily music experience involves synchronizing movements in time with a perceived periodic beat. It has been established for over a century that beat synchronization is less stable for the visual than for the auditory modality. This auditory advantage of beat synchronization gives rise to the hypotheses that the neural and evolutionary mechanisms underlying beat synchronization are modality-spec...

The motion of the inelastic bouncing ball is examined. The time of flight is modelled through numerical simulation using MATLAB. Then the time of flight is experimentally verified using a metal block constrained to move in one direction mounted to a vibration table. Time of flight is measured using a continuity sensor. Bifurcation diagrams are created for a range of accelerations and compared t...