We explore integrated microcamera focus systems for array cameras. Array cameras enable wide field of view 90° to 360° high resolution (10–100 μ rad) imaging with small exit apertures (≈10 mm). Small exit apertures enable compact focus mechanisms with fast actuators. We show that a common mechanism supports ≈f/2.5 camera modules with focal lengths ranging from 25 to 60 mm. Designs for each focal length

A solar cell capacitance simulator named SCAPS 1D was used in the prediction study of Cu(In, Ga)Se 2 (CIGS), CuIn(S, Se) 2 (CISSe) and Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) based solar cells where indium sulphide (In 2 S 3 ), fluorine-doped tin oxide/FTO (SnO 2 :F) and gold (Au) were used as buffer layer, window layer and back contact respectively. We investigated the effect of thickness, defect density and carrier

In this study, a feasible approach for UV–vis photodetection using hybrid heterojunction by integrating porous silicon and TiO 2 thin film is demonstrated. The photodetector demonstrates excellent photoresponse by three orders of magnitude enhancement and fast rise/decay time constants of 0.16/0.14 ms. Under small bias (1 V), the photodetector exhibits very high responsivity up to 40 A W −1 at 532

The impedance-based structural health monitoring technique uses measured signatures changes to identify incipient damages in structures. The purpose is to perform a correlation of these changes with the physical phenomena. However, since electromechanical coupling exists, some environmental influences such as temperature changes may lead to false decision regarding the condition of the structure. As

Functionally graded beams, bars and rods have been gaining a relevant consideration in engineering practice and research, taking into account variations of the material properties either in the transverse or in the longitudinal direction. Yet existing literature dealing with analytical study of structural instability for an arbitrary material longitudinal variation is still limited. In this paper,

In an attempt to produce fuel from plastic waste, a cylindrical fixed-bed pyrolysis reactor with a capacity of 0.01053 m 3 was designed and fabricated. The pyrolytic fuel produced serves as a substitute to fossil fuel. A thermal degradation process, known as fixed-bed pyrolysis, was employed to obtain the pyrolytic fuel from the plastic waste. The operating pressure and the design pressure of the pyrolysis

This study is concerned with the design of a nonsingular decoupled terminal sliding mode controller for a class of fourth-order under-actuated uncertain nonlinear systems with unknown external disturbance. For the unmeasured disturbance, a disturbance observer with finite-time convergence of estimation error to zero is proposed. The nonsingular decoupled terminal sliding mode controller is designed

The size quantization effect in the channel of a 2D nanoscale MOSFET is studied using a self-consistent quantum method. Under this, Schrodinger-Poisson equations are solved for determining the electron density for 2D device channels from 3 nm × 3 nm to 100 nm × 100 nm. The lower dimension channels show a peak of the electron density at the middle whereas higher dimension channels show the accumulation

A novel method for optimizing fast camera parameters to sense flow dynamics is presented. A wide-field statistic of the temporal auto-correlation intensity function from sample back-scattered laser light can be obtained from the high-end fast cameras that have come on to the market in recent years. Although these statistics can reveal flow dynamics within different sample regions, these cameras can

Generally, WSNs or IoT nodes are powered by energy-constrained batteries, which significantly limit their operating lifetime and application. Harvesting energy from the surrounding environment provides a promising solution for self-powered WSNs or IoT nodes. Compared with other energy harvesting approaches, thermoelectric energy harvesting based on thermoelectric generators (TEGs) has many advantages

Spray deposition with following continuous extrusion (SD-CE) forming technique is a novel technology that combines spray forming and continuous extrusion. Optimization of test parameters for spray deposition is an important part of SD-CE. In this study, Al-20Si alloy was produced by spray forming at different melt temperature and gas pressure, and obtained grain diameter of 8 group primary silicon

A long range surface plasmon-polariton resonance (LRSPPR) based refractive index sensor (for biomolecular interaction study applications) with ultrahigh sensitivity and extremely narrow resonance dips with very small full width at half maximum (FWHM, w) is proposed. The theoretical analysis of the sensitivity for spectral and angular interrogations is presented. The structure consists of a MgF 2 prism

With substantial size and performance advantages, microchannel heat exchangers have been attracting increasing attention for various energy recovery and conversion processes. While much research and recent studies focus on their applications and performance, few studies have been devoted to the measurement and dimensional accuracy of actual microchannels in use. In this study, in-depth geometric characterization

The candle soot particles were collected from the inner and outer regions of the candle flame and their dye adsorption capacities were compared. The surface area of inner flame particles (IFP) and outer flame particles (OFP) was recorded as 48 and 88 m 2 g −1 , respectively. The coatings of OFP and IFP were found hydrophobic and hydrophilic, respectively. The adsorptive removal of Methylene blue (MB)

Caterpillars do not process skeleton inside its body; instead, they utilize the environment, e.g., branches, to maintain the posture against gravity. This strategy is also beneficial for soft-bodied robotic artifacts, which allows us to simplify the body and control design. This paper presents a soft-bodied crawling robot able to locomote in an upside-down condition. The critical finding is producing

Influence of alumina nanoparticles in the epoxy adhesive on the load-carrying capacity of single lap joints was investigated using the finite element method. Nanocomposite adhesives were modelled by reinforcing randomly distributed spherical shaped (at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt.%) and rod-shaped (at 0.5 and 1.0 wt.%) alumina nanoparticles in the epoxy. 2D finite element was used to discretise the domain

This work reports the effect of x-ray radiation on In 2 O 5 Sn based Transparent Gate Recessed Channel (TGRC) MOSFET with the high-k dielectric at the sub-20 nm regime. Reliability of TGRC-MOSFET with a high-k dielectric in harsh radiation environment (x-ray radiation in the 1k to 10k rad dose range after irradiation) is the main aim of this analysis using TCAD simulation. Results reveal that HfO 2

As the development of soft actuators progresses, new methods for more agile actuator control are required. While there are hardware technologies that can provide such agility (e.g. field-programmable-gate-array electronics), mathematical models tend to slow the controlling processes. For the case of double conical dielectric elastomer actuators (DCDEAs), complex material and physical models are often

Piezoelectric energy harvesters represent a viable and well-proven solution to convert ambient vibrations into useful electric power within a number of modern life applications. Whilst a large amount of studies has focused on improving power output from these devices, relatively little research has been directed to investigate how these devices degrade over time and the effect this has on long-term

In the present work, thermal properties of hydrocarbon fuels including commercial fuels like diesel fuel (DF2), jet propulsion fuel JP5 and automotive gasoline (AG) are evaluated at temperatures and pressures prevailing in internal combustion engines and gas turbines. Properties calculated include density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat and mass diffusivity. A detailed methodology is

We present an ultra-compact strip to slot waveguide mode converter to facilitate excellent fundamental mode coupling between the strip and slot waveguide over a broad wavelength range. The design utilizes tapered waveguide geometries for adiabatic mode conversion. The taper profiles are optimized using a fast quasi-adiabatic approach to achieve the adiabatic mode conversion within the smallest possible

This work presents an electromechanical, semi-analytic model for the description of the bending and electrostatic actuation of a stress-deformed micro-cantilever with large deflection angle. In our approach, we discretized the stress-deformed cantilever into multiple sub-beam segments and calculated the external moment in each node. Unlike most other models, the external moment that attacks the cantilever

In this paper, fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a channel equipped with two isothermal diamond blocks such as blocks filled with PCM's (during phase changing) to find out the optimum state in fluid flow and heat transfer behavior have been investigated. Different Reynolds and Prandtl numbers and different geometrical parameters such as the block size and location have been studied. The

A major challenge in designing technologies that are intended to work in direct contact with humans lies in achieving maximal coordination between the human and the technological device (robot), while minimizing interference with or restraint of the normal human behavior. This is particularly relevant to systems designed to assist in human walking. Our current study presents an innovative bio-inspired

Wind tunnel experiments have been conducted to investigate the effect of turbulence on the power output of a MEMS aeroelastic wind energy harvester of approximately 5.5 mm × 5.5 mm × 10 mm in size. The energy harvester consisted mainly of a cylinder (2 mm diameter, 10 mm length) attached to a MEMS platform equipped with piezoelectric. The turbulence is artificially created via a turbulence generator

This paper documents a new design for a vertical electrical impedance (VEI) scanner that has increased VEI scanning speeds by an order of magnitude. Specifically, a new impedance analyzer was designed with improved circuitry and signal processing; this analyzer is accurate over a large range of impedance magnitudes, has a high sampling rate, is inexpensive, has low power consumption, and has a small

Nanobeams are extensively used in the arena of modern science and technology. The dynamic model of nanobeam with steps and cracks is formed by the combination of classical beam theory and nonlocal theory of elasticity. Homotopy perturbation method is employed to solve the governing equations for two steps nanobeam. The results of this approximation method are compared with the results of exact solution

When locomotives are running at high speed, under the influence of complicated wheel-rail excitation, the vibration response of the locomotive transmission system is not clear when the vital parts failure. In order to explore the dynamic response characteristics of the critical parts of locomotive, in this study, a complete dynamic model of the locomotive transmission system is established. The vibration

Cables headed with crimped lugs are often used in test laboratories for rise temperature tests to validate electrical devices. Undesired power dissipation due to the electrical resistance of crimped connections can invalidate the outcome of these tests. The aim of the work made at the High Voltage and High Power Laboratory of the National Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM) has been the investigation