Hideharu Takahashi

Sensors are essential in the haptic technology of soft robotics, which includes the technology of humanoids. Haptic sensors can be simulated by the mimetic organ of perceptual cells in the human body. However, there has been little research on the morphological fabrication of cutaneous receptors embedded in a human skin tissue utilizing artificial materials. In the present study, we fabricated artificial, cell-like cutaneous receptors embedded in skin tissue mimicking human skin structure by utilizing rubber. We addressed the fabrication of five cutaneous receptors (free nerve endings, Krause and bulbs, Meissner corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings). In addition, we investigated the effectiveness of the fabricated tissue for mechanical and thermal sensing. At first, in the production of integrated artificial skin tissue, we proposed a novel magnetic, responsive, intelligent, hybrid fluid (HF), which is suitable for developing the hybrid rubber skin. Secondly, we presented the fabrication by utilizing not only the HF rubber but our previously proposed rubber vulcanization and adhesion techniques with electrolytic polymerization. Thirdly, we conducted a mechanical and thermal sensing touch experiment with the finger. As a result, it demonstrated that intelligence as a mechanoreceptor or thermoreceptor depends on its fabric: the HF rubber sensor mimicked Krause and bulbs has the thermal and pressing sensibility, and the one mimicked Ruffini endings the shearing sensibility.

A long reach articulated manipulator can be very effective for inspection tasks for huge infrastructures. In particular, the long reach manipulator that can deploy various sensors in large, but the confined workspace is highly demanded in decommissioning tasks in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants. In previous works, JET-EFDA developed 8-meters long horizontally articulated

Rubber involving magnetic compound fluid (MCF) and TiO₂ is effective in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to create large efficacy. Wearable and portable solar cells made of MCF rubber are the most desirable as soft materials in robots or flexible devices, and they are further desirable because they have self-generated power and power supply with sensing. Therefore, we investigated the effect of TiO₂ catalysts on the photovoltaic effect of MCF rubber DSSCs under large tension and compression. The characteristics of the built-in electricity and photoelectricity were clarified experimentally. The experimental results were explained by a chemical–photovoltaic mechanism involving the behavior of dye, electrolytes, water, and rubber molecules, as well as a catalytic effect of the metal component of the MCF on Ni, Fe₃O₄, and TiO₂. Once we are able to produce solar cells that have large tension and compression, the present experimental results and the model of the chemical–photovoltaic mechanism will be of great interest.

We investigated the proposed hybrid skin (H-Skin) for the requirement of haptic sensibility in rubber using our proposed consummate fabrication process together with a multi-layered magnetic compound fluid (MCF) rubber and stocking-like porous rubber permeated by liquids, which was demonstrated in our previous report. The objective was to assess its applicability to sensing normal force and temperature, as well as fields dominated by shear force. For normal force, we investigated the piezo-electricity and electric current induced voltage, as well as the piezo-resistivity of the MCF rubber sensor under pressure. Additionally, we clarified the viability of measuring the softness and texture of materials using the MCF rubber sensor. For the shear motion, we clarified the characteristics of the friction coefficient using the MCF rubber sensor. The MCF rubber sensor can capture the reactions of paper, cloth, convex- and concave-shaped objects such as plant leaves and metal, and the skin of the human finger. Therefore, it is useful to investigate its texture and biological surfaces. Our obtained outstanding results indicated the feasibility of sensing the surface texture for any material in fields such as paper, fashion, apparel manufacturing, and cosmetic industries, which was impossible until now.

To satisfy the requirement of haptic sensibility in rubber such as in the proposed hybrid skin (H-Skin), the authors have demonstrated a new method for solidifying rubber using electrolytic polymerization together with configured magnetic clusters of magnetic compound fluid (MCF) incorporated into the rubber by the application of a magnetic field. However, the rubber and magnetic fluid (MF) involved in the MCF rubber were water-soluble. In addition, the authors have demonstrated the practicability of using electrolytic polymerization with an emulsifier, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), in which natural rubber (NR) or chloroprene rubber (CR) and silicone rubber (Q) can be mixed as water-soluble and water-insoluble rubbers, respectively. In this study, to enhance production, the feasibility of solidifying rubber by electrolytic polymerization is verified using varied water-insoluble rubber, varied water-insoluble MF, and varied surfactants to aid emulsion polymerization, except in the case of other kinds of rubber and MF which have been demonstrated until recent by the authors. Based on these diverse constituents, the authors propose a consummate fabrication process for multi-layered MCF rubber, which involves porous stocking-like rubber that can be permeated by any liquid. The investigation of this application is presented in the sequential second report.

Expanding on our previous report, we investigate the stability of a magnetic compound fluid (MCF) rubber sensor that was developed for a variety of engineering applications. To stabilize this sensor, we proposed a novel combination technique that facilitates the addition of dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) to natural rubber (NR)-latex or chloroprene rubber (CR)-latex using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by experimentally and theoretically investigating issues related to instability. This technique is one of several other novel combinations of diene and non-diene rubbers. Silicone oil or rubber with PDMS can be combined with NR-latex and CR-latex because of PVA’s emulsion polymerization behavior. In addition, owing to electrolytic polymerization based on the combination of PDMS and PVA, MCF rubber is highly porous and can be infiltrated in any liquid. Hence, the fabrication of novel intelligent rubbers using any intelligent fluid is feasible. By assembling infiltrated MCF rubber sheets and by conducting electrolytic polymerization of MCF rubber liquid with a hydrate using the adhesive technique as presented in a previous paper, it is possible to stabilize the MCF rubber sensor. This sensor is resistant to cold or hot water as well as γ-irradiation as shown in the previous report.

As per sequential studies on new types of soft rubber for the artificial skin of robots, smart sensors, etc., we have proposed and investigated hybrid skin (H-Skin) and haptic sensors by using magnetic compound fluid (MCF), compounding natural rubber latex (NR-latex), and applying electric and magnetic fields. Through electrolytic polymerization, the MCF rubber is solidified. The MCF rubber has hybrid sensing functions and photovoltaic effects, and electric charge as battery. In case of the production of soft rubber sensors, however, the problem of adhesion between metal electrodes and rubber is very important. In the present study, we propose a novel adhesive technique for bonding the metal electrodes and MCF rubber by using metallic or non-metallic hydrous oxide, which is a metal complex, via electrolytic polymerization. The anionic radical hydrate reacts with the isoprene molecules of NR-latex or chloroprene rubber latex (CR-latex) such that they are cross-linked and the MCF rubber with the hydrate is solidified, which can be represented via a chemical reaction equation. By means of this adhesive technique, we presented five cases of sensors fabricated using metal electrodes and rubbers. This technique is applicable for novel cohesion between rubber and metal.

This study introduces a measurement technique for simultaneous phase-separated velocity in two-phase bubbly flow. The non-invasive technique, based on an Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP), is used in order to obtain an instantaneous, separate velocity profile for both liquid and bubble. The aim of this paper is to measure each phase velocity at the same time and position it using only a single resonant frequency. To achieve this aim, extended signal processing of the Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) is proposed, combining with amplitude classification to analyze Doppler signal influenced from the bubbly flow. The use of developed algorithms allows the instantaneous separation of liquid and bubble velocity profiles. In this work, the developed technique is used to measure the velocity profile of bubbly flow in the vertical pipe, demonstrating the classification of liquid and bubble velocity. To confirm the accuracy of each velocity profile phase, the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method is used for comparison. The results clarify that the proposed method is in good agreement with the PIV measurement. Finally, the effect of void fraction against velocity measurement of both phases was demonstrated.

The present paper describes a measurement technique for phase-separated velocity profile measurements in the two-phase bubbly flow. The Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP) method which is nonintrusive measurement, is applied to obtain an instantaneous velocity profile of liquid and bubble separately by using only one resonant frequency. To achieve this target, developed algorithm, which can decompose frequency component of the Doppler signal affected by liquid and bubble, is applied in the UVP system to obtain and separate instantaneous velocity profile of both phases. For confirming the applicability of modified measurement system, the developed UVP was used for the measurement of the velocity profile in bubbly flow on vertical pipe flow apparatus, the measurement accuracy was validated by UVP Original and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method. Finally, the UVP was applied to experiment for observing velocity distribution of both phases in a bubble column.