Photo-induced crawling motion of a crystal of 3,3'-dimethylazobenzene (DMAB) on a glass substrate having different surface properties was studied. When exposed to UV and visible lights simultaneously from different directions, crystals crawl continuously on a glass surface. On a hydrophilic surface, the crystals crawled faster than those on other surfaces but crystals showed spreading while they moved. On hydrophobic surfaces, on the other hand, the crystals showed little shape change and slower crawling motion. The contact angles of the liquid phase of DMAB on surface-modified glass substrates showed positive correlation with the water contact angles. The interaction of melted azobenzene with glass surfaces plays an important role for the crawling motion. We proposed models to explain the asymmetric condition that leads to the directional motion. Specifically by considering the penetration length of UV and visible light sources, it was successfully shown that the depth of light penetration is different at the position of a crystal. This creates a nonequilibrium condition where melting and crystallization are predominant in the same crystal.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8374144 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.684767 | DOI Listing |
Sports Biomech
January 2025
Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, Nagano, Japan.
We aimed to investigate whether a linear relationship exists between swimming velocity and vertical body position for each stroke phase in front crawl, and to determine whether there are differences in the velocity effect among the stroke phases. Eleven male swimmers performed a 15 m front crawl at various swimming velocities. The whole-body centre of mass (CoM) was estimated from individual digital human models using inverse kinematics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSensors (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via Valerio 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
Swimmer's shoulder is a common condition among elite swimmers, often leading to pain and reduced performance. Fatigue can exacerbate this condition by affecting shoulder strength, proprioception, and range of motion, potentially increasing the risk of overuse injuries. This preliminary study aimed to evaluate the impact of physiotherapy treatment and the effects of fatigue on shoulder kinematics using inertial and magnetic measurement units (IMUs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
January 2025
Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350117, China.
Soft robots based on actuators that can work in both on-ground and on-water situations are environmentally adaptable and can accomplish tasks in complex environments. However, most current amphibious actuators need external stimuli to move on water and require complex preparation processes. Herein, amphibious Ink-paper/polyethylene programmable actuators and robots are proposed, which are fabricated by rapidly brushing Chinese ink on paper.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
Regarding the challenge of self-reconfiguration and self-amputation of soft robots, existing studies mainly focus on modular soft robots and connection methods between modules. Different from these studies, this study focus on the behavior of individual soft robots from a material perspective. Here, a kind of soft fibers, which consist of hot melt adhesive particles, magnetizable microparticles, and ferroferric oxide microparticles embedded in a thermoplastic polyurethane matrix are proposed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Rev E
November 2024
PMMH, CNRS UMR 7636, ESPCI PSL, F-75005 Paris, France.
Taking inspiration from the crawling motion of biological cells on a substrate, we consider a physical model of self-propulsion where the spatiotemporal driving can involve both a mechanical actuation by active force couples and a chemical actuation through controlled mass turnover. When the material turnover is slow and the mechanical driving dominates, we find that the highest velocity at a given energetic cost is reached when the actuation takes the form of an active force configuration propagating as a traveling wave. As the rate of material turnover increases, and the chemical driving starts to dominate the mechanical one, such a peristalsis-type control progressively loses its efficacy, yielding to a standing-wave-type driving which involves an interplay between the mechanical and chemical actuation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!