Publications related to Implantable drug delivery device

Additively manufactured stretchable zipping electrostatic actuators

The use of soft and stretchable materials allows the development of adaptive robotic systems and human-machine interfaces that are more natural and comfortable to interact with. One of the application fields that benefits the most from these compliant mate ...

EPFL2024

Structural impact of the start-up sequence on Pelton turbines lifetime: Analytical prediction and polynomial optimization

Mario Paolone, Elena Vagnoni, Aldo Leonardo Alerci

Hydropower plants play a crucial role in the power system facing ambitious renewable energy targets. Due to their inherent controllability, they are well suited to provide flexibility to the grid. However, an increased flexibility provision leads to a prol ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2023

Synthesis of Novel Integrated Actuators Powered by Shape Memory Alloys

Sean Thomas

In the modern age of miniaturisation, Smart Materials, a type of material that reacts mechanically to a certain stimulus, have become an integral part of this revolution. Among these materials, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), which have the highest volumetric ...

EPFL2022

A High Efficiency Pneumatic Drive System Using Vane-Type Semi-Rotary Actuators

Alfred Rufer

A compressed air driven generator is proposed, where the pneumatic energy is converted into mechanical energy using two vane-type rotational actuators. The use of a second actuator with a higher displacement in order to produce a thermodynamic expansion al ...

UNIV NIS2021

Design and modelling of a tubular dielectric elastomer actuator with constrained radial displacement as a cardiac assist device

Yves Perriard, Yoan René Cyrille Civet, Jonathan André Jean-Marie Chavanne, Armando Matthieu Walter

In this paper, we propose an improvement of a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) based augmented aorta. The actuator is a multi-layered tubular DEA subject to the internal pressure of the blood. When activated in synchronisation with the heart, the DEA su ...

IOP PUBLISHING LTD2021

Fluid-actuated haptic device and methods for using thereof

Jamie Paik, Zhenishbek Zhakypov

A haptic device is disclosed comprising at least one fluidic actuator operatively connectable with pumping means; and a plurality of movable members mechanically connected with said at least one fluidic actuator, wherein said movable members can perform a ...

2021

Shape programmable multi-stable polymer actuators

Bekir Aksoy

Recent advances in soft actuators have enabled systems that are safer to interact with, better at handling fragile objects, able to produce complex shapes with fewer components. However, being inherently soft differs these actuators from their rigid counte ...

EPFL2021

Energy Analysis of a Cardiac Assist Device based on Dielectric Elastomer Actuator through an Equivalent Electrical Circuit

Yves Perriard, Yoan René Cyrille Civet, Jonathan André Jean-Marie Chavanne, Francesco Clavica

Lumped parameter model and mock circulation loop are two tools commonly used in biomedical research to simulate cardiac system in order to study different assist devices. In this paper, a lumped parameter model is proposed to simulate a circulation loop. T ...

IEEE2021

Electrically-Driven Soft Fluidic Actuators Combining Stretchable Pumps With Thin McKibben Muscles

Herbert Shea, Vito Cacucciolo

Soft wearable robots could provide support for lower and upper limbs, increase weight lifting ability, decrease energy required for walking and running, and even provide haptic feedback. However, to date most of wearable robots are based on electromagnetic ...

2020

Autonomous oil flow generated by self-oscillating polymer gels

Vito Cacucciolo

The previously reported gel and polymer actuators require external inputs, such as batteries, circuits, electronic circuits, etc., compared with autonomous motions produced by the living organisms. To realize the spontaneous motions, here, we propose to in ...

Nature Research2020

Open-Source Implementation and Validation of a 3D Inverse Design Method for Francis Turbine Runners

François Avellan, Sebastián Camilo Leguizamón Sarmiento

The hydraulic design of Francis turbines and pump-turbines is an expensive project-specific engineering effort that typically involves a direct iterative exploration of the design space. An inverse design method for turbomachinery has been previously intro ...

2020

A vibration control strategy using variable stiffness joints

Gennaro Senatore

Adaptive joints are structural joints made of materials with enhanced transduction properties that can vary their stiffness via solid-state actuation (e.g. thermal, mechanical). In this work, stiffness tuning is used to switch the joint between a ‘locked’ ...

2018

Soft Pneumatic Gelatin Actuator for Edible Robotics

Dario Floreano, Jun Shintake, Jamie Paik, Harshal Arun Sonar, Yegor Piskarev

We present a fully edible pneumatic actuator based on gelatin-glycerol material. The actuator is monolithic, fabricated via a molding process, and measures 90 mm in length, 20 mm in width, and 17 mm in thickness. Thanks to the material mechanical character ...

2017

Experimental evidence of inter-blade cavitation vortex development in Francis turbines at deep part load condition

François Avellan, Arthur Tristan Favrel, Keita Yamamoto

Francis turbines are subject to various types of cavitation flow depending on the operating condition. To enable a smooth integration of the renewable energy sources, hydraulic machines are now increasingly required to extend their operating range, especia ...

Springer Verlag2017

URANS Models for the Simulation of Full Load Pressure Surge in Francis Turbines Validated by Particle Image Velocimetry

François Avellan, Arthur Tristan Favrel

Due to the penetration of alternative renewable energies, the stabilization of the electrical power network relies on the off-design operation of turbines and pump-turbines in hydro-power plants. The occurrence of cavitation is however a common phenomenon ...

American Society of Mechanical Engineers2017

Computational Fluid Dynamics-Based Pump Redesign to Improve Efficiency and Decrease Unsteady Radial Forces

Ning Chu, Linlin Cao, Shuai Yang, Peng Wu

In this study, a double volute centrifugal pump with relative low efficiency and high vibration is redesigned to improve the efficiency and reduce the unsteady radial forces with the aid of unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The concept ...

Asme2017

LDV survey of cavitation and resonance effect on the precessing vortex rope dynamics in the draft tube of Francis turbines

François Avellan, Christian Landry, Arthur Tristan Favrel, Keita Yamamoto

The large-scale penetration of the electrical grid by intermittent renewable energy sources requires a continuous operating range extension of hydropower plants. This causes the formation of unfavourable flow patterns in the draft tube of turbines and pump ...

Springer Verlag2016

Design and Analysis of a Soft Pneumatic Actuator with Origami Shell Reinforcement

Jamie Paik, Laura Isabel Paez Coy, Gunjan Agarwal

Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) are versatile robotic components enabling diverse and complex soft robot hardware design. However, due to inherent material characteristics exhibited by their primary constitutive material, silicone rubber, they often lack r ...

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc2016

High-resolution LES of the rotating stall in a reduced scale model pump-turbine

François Avellan, Olivier Pacot, Chisachi Kato

Extending the operating range of modern pump-turbines becomes increasingly important in the course of the integration of renewable energy sources in the existing power grid. However, at partial load condition in pumping mode, the occurrence of rotating sta ...

Iop Publishing Ltd2014

Improved electromechanical behavior in castable dielectric elastomer actuators

Samuel Rosset, Herbert Shea, Samin Akbari

Non-viscoelastic castable elastomers are replacing the polyacrylate VHB films in the new generations of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) to achieve fast and reliable actuation. We introduce the optimum prestretch conditions to enhance the electromecha ...

American Institute of Physics2013