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SUMMARY:MechE Colloquium: Coiled Muscles x Snapping Beams: From Nonlinear 
 Mechanics to Miniature Robotic Design
DTSTART:20230404T120000
DTEND:20230404T130000
DTSTAMP:20260405T200543Z
UID:4b2fed1b0bc503e2aea9dd4f53c2cf64e12ad6b28e927aab80edf9f8
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Sameh Tawfick\, Kinetic Materials Research Group\, Unive
 rsity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)\nAbstract: My group is developin
 g a roadmap to replace bulky electric motors in miniature robotic function
 s requiring large mechanical work output.\n\nFirst\, I will describe the m
 echanics of hierarchical super-\, and hyper-coiled artificial muscles whic
 h generate contractile motion during actuation. I will explain our current
  understanding of the interplay between their nonlinear mechanics and mate
 rial microstructure. Next\, I will describe their use to actuate the dynam
 ic snapping of insect-scale jumping robots. The combination of strong but 
 slow muscles with a fast-snapping beam gives rise to dynamic buckling casc
 ade phenomena leading to effective robotic jumping mechanisms.\n\nThese ex
 amples shed light on the future of automation propelled by new bioinspired
  materials\, nonlinear mechanics\, and unusual manufacturing processes.\n\
 nBiography: Sameh Tawfick is a Visiting Professor in the University of Cam
 bridge and a Beaufort Visiting Fellow in St John’s College. Prof. Tawfic
 k's home institution is the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where 
 he is currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Science and Engineeri
 ng\, having received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research. Sam ob
 tained his PhD from the University of Michigan and was a Postdoctoral Asso
 ciate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He studies advanced ma
 terials\, nonlinear mechanics\, and manufacturing processes. He is the rec
 ipient of young investigator awards from the US Air Force\, ASME\, and SME
 .  His teaching awards at the University of Illinois include The Everitt 
 Award for Teaching Excellence\, The Two-year Alumni Teaching Award\, and T
 he Engineering Council Stanley H. Pierce Award for Empathetic Student-facu
 lty Cooperation.
LOCATION:MED 0 1418 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418 https://epf
 l.zoom.us/j/64230566011
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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