Soft robotic systems have recently been considered as a new approach that is in principle better suited for tasks where safety and adaptability are important. That is because soft materials are inherently compliant and resilient in the event of collisions. They are also lightweight and can be low-cost; in general, soft robots have the potential to achieve many tasks that were not previously possible with traditional robotic systems. In this paper, we propose a new manufacturing process for creating multi-chambered pneumatic actuators and robots. We focus on using fabric as the primary structural material, but plastic films can be used instead of textiles as well. We introduce two different methods to create layered bellows actuators, which can be made with a heat press machine or in an oven. We also describe origami-like actuators with possible corner structures. Moreover, the fabrication process permits the creation of soft and soft/rigid hybrid robotic systems, and enables the easy integration of sensors into these robots. We analyze various textiles that are possibly used with this method, and model bellows actuators including operating force, restoring force, and estimated geometry with multiple bellows. We then demonstrate the process by showing a bellows actuator with an embedded sensor and other fabricated structures and robots. We next present a new design of a multi-DOF soft/rigid hybrid robotic manipulator. It contains a revolute actuator and several roll-pitch actuators which are arranged in series. To control the manipulator, we use a new variant of the piece-wise constant curvature (PCC) model. The robot can be controlled using forward and inverse kinematics with embedded inertial measurement units (IMUs). A bellows actuator, which is a subcomponent of the manipulator, is modeled with a variable-stiffness spring, and we use the model to predict the behavior of the actuator. With the model, the roll-pitch actuator stiffnesses are measured in all directions through applying forces and torques. The stiffness is used to predict the behavior of the end effector. The robotic system introduced achieved errors of less than 5% when compared to the models, and positioning accuracies of better than 1cm. / Doctor of Philosophy / Future robotic systems are expected to deal with many tasks in real-world environments. The natural environment is highly unpredictable and unstructured, making manipulation and locomotion challenging for robots. Robots need to rely on adaptability, reconfigurability, and safety. Soft robotic systems have recently been considered as a new approach that is in principle better suited for tasks where safety and adaptability are important. That is because soft materials are inherently compliant and resilient in the event of collisions. They are also lightweight and can be low-cost; in general, soft robots have the potential to achieve many tasks that were not previously possible with traditional robotic systems. In this paper, we propose a new manufacturing process for creating multi-chambered pneumatic actuators and robots. We focus on using fabric as the primary structural material, but plastic films can be used instead of textiles as well. We introduce two different methods to create layered bellows actuators, which can be made with a heat press machine or household iron, or in an oven. We also describe origami-like actuators with possible corner structures. Moreover, the fabrication process permits the creation of soft and soft/rigid hybrid robotic systems, and enables the easy integration of sensors into these robots. We analyze various textiles that can be used with this method, and make models of bellows actuators including their operating force, restoring force, and estimated geometry with multiple bellows. We then demonstrate the process by showing a bellows actuator with an embedded sensor and other fabricated structures and robots. We next present a new design of a multi-DOF soft/rigid hybrid robotic manipulator. It contains a revolute actuator and several roll-pitch actuators which are arranged in series. To control the manipulator, we use a new variant of the piece-wise constant curvature (PCC) model. The robot can be controlled using forward and inverse kinematics with embedded inertial measurement units (IMUs). A bellows actuator, which is a subcomponent of the manipulator, is modeled with a variable-stiffness spring, and we use the model to predict the behavior of the actuator. With the model, the roll-pitch actuator stiffnesses are measured in all directions through applying forces and torques. The stiffness is used to predict the behavior of the end effector.

Little is known about the effects of arabinoxylans (AX) on noodle quality. The aim of this study was to observe interrelationships between wheat flour AX, SRC tests, and noodle quality attributes, and to investigate the use of SRCs to predict cookie diameter. Cookie diameter is the most common index of overall soft wheat quality used in practice. Duplicate samples of 63 soft white wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties and breeding lines grown at Corvallis in 2002 were selected to study the relationships between flour and noodle characteristics. Kernel hardness was positively correlated with starch damage, total AX and water-extractable AX (WEAX) content but negatively correlated with break flour yield. In this set of samples, despite significant correlations, the sodium carbonate and sucrose SRC tests were not considered to be reliable predictors of cookie diameter due to low numerical correlation coefficients. A modified extraction method for WEAX-SE and WUAX-SE was optimized and reduced in scale. During method development, WUAX 1-SE and WUAX 2-SE fractions that had been treated with protease and amylase respectively were observed using SEHPLC. The equivalent fractions had been discarded in other studies. In this study, AX was found to present in these fractions. A subset of 12 lines was used for further AX extraction. WUAX 2-SE had the highest molecular weight, followed by WUAX1-SE, and then WEAX-SE. The molecular weights of WEAX-SE ranged from approximately 411,305 and 447,282. However, molecular weight of WUAX 1-SE and WUAX 2-SE could not be specifically defined in this study. In addition, WEAX-SE contained a higher degree of substitution than WUAX 1-SE and WUAX 2-SE. For the whole sample set, flour protein content was negatively correlated with ti5A cooked noodle hardness, adhesiveness and chewiness but positively correlated with springiness. At the very low flour protein contents of this sample set, protein composition, which related to lactic acid SRC, became more important for noodle texture. Both starch damage and sodium carbonate SRC were positively correlated with cooked noodle hardness and chewiness at t₀ and t [subscript 15A] Total AX and WUAX were positively correlated with adhesiveness at to, which might result from gummy and sticky characteristics of AX. Using the subset of 12 lines, described above, increased xylose and arabinose contents reflected overall higher AX abundance, and were related to harder kernel texture, poor milling properties. They were also related to higher water, carbonate and sucrose SRCs, and smaller cookie diameter. A/X ratios of WEAX-SE and WUAX 1-SE were positively correlated with flour yield and break flour yield. The WUAX 2-SE fraction seemed to behave different from the WEAX-SE and WUAX 1-SE fractions. The relationships between A/G ratio, and milling characteristics and SRC were opposite to A/X ratios for all fractions. Decreased MW and increased abundance of WUAX in this sample set was related to poorer milling characteristics. There appeared to be no direct systematic relationships between AX and cooked noodle texture parameters in this study. However, AX content appeared to affect noodle texture indirectly, mediated through the effects ofAX on kernel hardness, milling properties, starch damage, reduced FSV, and hence harder noodle texture. Kernel hardness index, flour yield, break flour yield and tisw cooked noodle hardness were able to be predicted with some confidence using stepwise multiple regressions that used selected parameters from the WEAX, WUAX 1-SE and WUAX 2-SE fractions. / Graduation date: 2004

La bibliothèque mondiale est le système spatialisé complexe de tous les textes disponibles dans le monde. Aujourd’hui saisie par la révolution numérique et le multimédia, elle est pourtant construite à partir d’une figure ordinaire : la bibliothèque de livres. Dans un usage redéfini pour la géographie, la littératie désigne les pratiques et les politiques publiques de lecture écriture. La bibliothèque mondiale et la littératie sont deux objets ordinaires de la géographie et nous proposons de les prendre au sérieux en y travaillant la question des échelles et des mobilités : le niveau national est-il toujours le niveau d’organisation dominant des littératies dans le monde ? Quels y sont les devenirs voisins aux échelles infra et supra-nationales ?Pour dépasser une approche trop abstraite, nous avons fortement sollicité la parole des acteurs à travers l’entretien,dans une démarche de recherche-action et de neutralisation de la croyance littéraire. À la manière des New literacy studies, nous avons multiplié les petits terrains dans un inventaire géographique des formes et des niveaux scalaires (bibliothèques embarquées, Aran, provincialismes, prix Nobel). Nous avons également enquêté dans deux États-nations, leMali et la Corée du Sud, choisis pour leur écart au modèle français. Le jeu scalaire observé montre que la mondialisation de la littératie se développe de manière très différenciée selon les espaces, en fonction notamment du projet national. La torsion de ce niveau autrefois central libère/contraint les acteurs : les dynamiques multi-niveaux permettent alors d’interpréter les fonctionnements complexes. L’aménagement culturel est une question politique multiscalaire / The world library is a complex, specialized system comprising all the texts available all over the world. Though ingrained in the digital revolution and multimedia tools, its construction is nonetheless based on a fairly ordinary pattern : the library with books. In a sense redefined for the sake of geography, literacy designates practices and public policies regarding readingand writing. World library and literacy are also two common preoccupations of geography, which we offer to take seriously by working into them the issues of scale and mobility. That is, is the national level always the level of organization dominating literacies in the world ? What are, within these, the likely future outcomes close to the infra and supranational scales ?To go beyond an overly abstract approach, we have strongly sought out the testimonies of agents of literacy through interviews, in a quest combining research and action, as well as by debunking the literary belief. Along the lines of the New Literacy Studies, we have multiplied the small fields in a geographical inventory of forms and levels (dumped libraries, Aran, provincialisms, Nobel Prize). We have also investigated the issue in two nation-states – Mali and South Korea – chosen each for its relative distance from the French model. The game of scales under observation reveals that the globalization of literacy grows in a highly differentiated manner depending on the environments, particularly with regard to the national project. The twisting of this once central level liberates/constrains the agents, so that multilevel dynamics allow us thento interpret such complex workings. Cultural planning is a multi-scale political issue

Soft robots present the opportunity to extend the capabilities currently demonstrated within the field of robotics. By utilizing primarily soft materials in their construction, soft robots are inherently safe to operate around humans, can handle delicate tasks without advanced controls, and are robust to shocks and impacts during deployment. While proof-of-concept devices have been demonstrated successfully, there remains a need for widely applicable, reliable soft robotic components. This dissertation presents sensors to reliably measure the large deformations exhibited in soft robotic structures and responsive structures enabled by variable stiffness materials that can switch from flexible to stiff on-demand. By characterizing the sensors from the material level, through the manufacturing, to the completed functional device, the fabrication processes can be depended upon to produce sensors with predictable, reliable performance. The sensors were applied to various soft robotic systems through implementation on the surface of the structures to measure surface strains, and embedded in the body of the robot to measure body deformations. The sensory feedback was used to reconstruct the state of and to perform closed-loop control of the soft robot's position. Variable stiffness materials that switch from rigid to soft through application of heat were leveraged to create responsive structures that can be deformed or reconfigured on-demand. This capability is necessary for soft robots to exert load onto the external environment and enables a wider range of interactions with target objects. The work presented in this dissertation furthers the field of soft robotics by illustrating a path toward proven, reliable soft sensors for measuring large strains and variable stiffness materials to create responsive structures.

Forensic facial reconstruction may be the final option available to draw the public attention in cases where the identity of an individual cannot be established by standard identification methods. Two fundamental components of all forensic facial reconstruction techniques are cranial morphology and soft tissue depths databases. The purpose of this study was to extend such databases by providing a complete set of accurate facial soft tissue thickness measurements, acquired from a contemporary adult population from Germany, for use in forensic facial reconstruction. The aims were to measure the distance between well-defined landmarks on the skull and reference points on the face in a standardised manner, to analyse how sex, age and body mass index (BMI) influence facial soft tissue depths, to identify patterns of facial asymmetry, and to conduct a comparative analysis with other populations. The material for this study consisted of 320 (160 male, 160 female) anonymised multi-slice computerised tomography (MSCT) scans of individuals drawn from a German population. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 84 years were analysed. Their statures varied between 1.50 m and 1.96 m; their weights ranged between 40 kg and 145 kg. The BMI fluctuated between 16.6 kg/m2 and 45.8 kg/m2. Patients with severe trauma or pathologies that may compromise facial soft tissue depth were excluded from the study as were patients known to have been treated with specific medication (e.g. cortisone). In Amira®, 3D models of the surfaces of the skull and the facial skin were semi-automatically segmented using previously calculated thresholds and surface extraction algorithms. The parameters were adjusted to permit semi-transparent visualisation and examination of the structures of both the 3D skull and facial skin surface models simultaneously. Facial soft tissue depth was measured at 10 midline and 28 bilateral anatomical landmarks, according to the main orientations of the skull. Statistical analyses and tests were performed with SPSS® Version 22 and TDStats Version v2015.1. The analysis of facial soft tissue thickness versus BMI, sex and age, for each landmark separately, indicated that, at a number of the landmarks, facial soft tissue depth is significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by all three biometric variables. Facial soft tissue thickness increased with increasing BMI, but the correlations with age were insignificant. The differences between males and females were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for almost all anatomical landmarks with the exception of a few in the region of the nasal root and orbitals. Asymmetry was noted at over half of the bilateral landmarks. The differences between the results from this sample and those obtained from comparable databases contradict the hypothesis that population-specificity significantly influences facial soft tissue thickness. Nevertheless, this and future studies of craniofacial soft tissues will improve our knowledge of the complexity of the human face. The information gathered will be invaluable when considering forensic facial reconstruction methods for neighbouring populations.

A modified Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) system is used to determine the mechanical properties of soft and ultra-soft materials. An aluminum bar is introduced to reduce the impedance mismatch between the test system and sample. The small signal of the forces was measured by a quartz crystal gauge system. The high precision Laser gap gauge (LGG) system was used to measure the deformation of samples. The compressive tests of Cemented Paste Backfill (CPB), fresh CPB and Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and the fracture toughness tests of PMMA were conducted to approve the legitimacy of our modified SHPB system. From these experiments, the efficiency and economy of the modified SHPB system were attested.

A modified Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) system is used to determine the mechanical properties of soft and ultra-soft materials. An aluminum bar is introduced to reduce the impedance mismatch between the test system and sample. The small signal of the forces was measured by a quartz crystal gauge system. The high precision Laser gap gauge (LGG) system was used to measure the deformation of samples. The compressive tests of Cemented Paste Backfill (CPB), fresh CPB and Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and the fracture toughness tests of PMMA were conducted to approve the legitimacy of our modified SHPB system. From these experiments, the efficiency and economy of the modified SHPB system were attested.

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The response of porcine adipose and skeletal muscle tissues to shock compression has been investigated using the plate-impact technique in conjunction with manganin foil pressure gauge diagnostics. This approach has allowed for measurement of the levels of uniaxial stress imparted to both skeletal muscle and rendered adipose tissue by the shock. In addition, the lateral stress component generated within adipose tissue during shock loading has also been investigated. The techniques employed in this study have allowed for equation-of-state relationships to be established for the investigated materials, highlighting non-hydrodynamic behaviour in each type of tissue over the range of investigated impact conditions. While the adipose tissue selected in this work has been shown to strengthen with impact stress in a manner similar to that seen to occur in polymeric materials, the skeletal muscle tissues exhibited a ow strength, or resistance to compression, that was independent of impact stress. Both the response of the adipose material and tested skeletal muscle tissues lie in contrast with the shock response of ballistic gelatin, which has previously been shown to exhibit hydrodynamic behaviour under equivalent loading conditions. Plate-impact experiments have also been used to investigate the shock response of a homogenized variant of one of the investigated muscle tissues. In the homogenized samples, the natural structure of skeletal muscle tissue, i.e. a fibrous and anisotropic composite, was heavily disrupted and the resulting material was milled into a fine paste. Rather than matching the response of the unaltered tissues, the datapoints generated from this type of experiment were seen to collapse back on to the hydrodynamic response predicted for skeletal muscle by its linear equation-of-state (Us = 1.72 + 1.88up). This suggests that the resistance to compression apparent in the data obtained for the virgin tissues was a direct result of the interaction of the shock with the quasi-organized structure of skeletal muscle. A soft-capture system has been developed in order to facilitate post-shock analysis of skeletal muscle tissue and to ascertain the effects of shock loading upon the structure of the material. The system was designed to deliver a one-dimensional, at-topped shock pulse to the sample prior to release. The overall design of the system was aided by use of the non-linear and explicit hydrocode ANSYSR AUTODYN. Following shock compression, sections of tissue were imaged using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Both an auxetic-like response and large-scale disruption to the I-band/Z-disk regions within the tissue's structure were observed. Notably, these mechanisms have been noted to occur as a result of hydrostatic compression of skeletal muscle within the literature.

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