Professor Mary Frecker visits BYU CMR

As part of an ongoing effort to encourage collaboration and cooperation in the field of compliant mechanism research, the Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) Lab invited Professor Mary Frecker of Penn State University to visit Brigham Young University. While at BYU on March 31, 2008, Professor Frecker presented information in morphing wing technology for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Morphing wings use compliant mechanism technology to change their size and shape. They enable the UAV to adapt during flight to meet changing requirements such as speed and distance capabilities.

Also during the visit, several students made presentations informing Dr. Frecker about CMR research in the fields of compliant mechanisms and microelectromechanical systems.

For more information about Professor Frecker and her work at Penn State, visit http://www.mne.psu.edu/research/Frecker.html.

CMR Awarded Research Grant from the National Science Foundation

On February 19, 2008, the National Science Foundation awarded the Compliant Mechanisms Research Lab a three-year research grant for developing a new class of mechanisms called "Lamina Emergent Mechanisms" (LEMs). LEMs are compliant mechanisms which are fabricated from one or more planar layers of material (lamina). When actuated, LEMs emerge from their initial planar state.

Funds from the grant will be used in developing technology for applications in both macro-scale compliant mechanisms and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Specific applications may include orthopedic implants, where smaller insertion sizes of devices are desirable, and micro systems.

Additional project objectives include creating a catalog of fundamental mechanisms, documentation of research results, and continuing educational opportunities for engineering students and pre-service teachers. For an abstract about the project and more information about the grant, click here.

Professor Katsuo Kurabayashi visits BYU CMR

On 25 February, 2008, Professor Katsuo Kurabayashi of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan visited the BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) Lab. Several students and two professors made presentations on work being done in the fields of compliant mechanisms and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). After the presentations, Professor Kurabayashi shared information related to his current research.

Professor Kurabayashi's research interests include MEMS, nanoengineering, thermal energy transport phenomena in electronic systems, micro optical devices, and MEMS/biomolecular hybrid technology. Quentin Aten, a graduate student in the MEMS group, commented on Professor Kurabayashi's presentation. He said, "I thought his fusion of MEMS devises with biological motor proteins, such as kinesin, was very promising and seems to solve one of the problems of having to activate some of the devices on the nano-level."

For more information on Professor Kurabayashi's research, visit his web site at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~katsuo/

Best Paper Award at Micro- and Nanosystems Conference

The Best Paper Award for the 1st International Conference on Micro- and Nanosystems was awarded to Tyler Waterfall, Kendall Teichert and Professor Brian Jensen. The conference was part of the 2007 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences.

Many applications in microelectromechanical systems require physical actuation for implementation or operation, and on-chip sensors would allow control of these actuators. The paper presented experimental evidence showing that a certain class of thermal actuators can be used simultaneously as an actuator and a sensor to control the actuator's force or displacement output. By measuring the current and voltage supplied to the actuator, a one-to-one correspondence is found between a given voltage and current and a measured displacement or force. This truly integrated sensor/actuator combination will lead to efficient, on-chip control of motion for applications including microsurgery, biological cell handling, and optic positioning.

Quentin Aten Receives State & National Awards

Graduate student Quentin Aten was recognized for his work in the bio-medical application of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). On September 4, 2007, Quentin presented a poster and an oral presentation entitled "Out-of-Plane Cellular Manipulator" as part of the ASME Undergraduate Mechanism Design Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was selected as one of four finalists to present at the conference, where he placed second overall.

Recently, he also presented at the Second Annual NanoUtah Conference at the University of Utah, where he won the Best Poster Award in the student competition.

Quentin works with Dr. Brian Jensen and Dr. Larry Howell from the ME Department and also collaborates with Dr. Sandra Burrnett of the Microbiology and Molecular Biology Department. They are developing a method of using MEMS to inject DNA into individual cells. Regarding his research, Quentin says, "My goal is to produce a microinjector that is simpler to use, more economical, and has a higher success rate than current microinjector technology." Quentin plans to attend medical school after completing his M.S.

2007 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences

The International Design Engineering Technical Conferences, sponsored by ASME, were held the first week of September 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference is attended annually by approximately 1,000 engineers from the industry and academia. The CMR lab was represented at the conference by five ME professors and 15 students or recent graduates from the program. Students took part by presenting papers and participating in the ASME Mechanism Design Competition. The BYU team was excited to bring home three awards (see related stories).

Paper Earns Compliant Mechanisms Application Best-paper Award

In September 2007, Steve Landon (a recent graduate), Spencer Magleby, and Brian Jensen won a best paper award at the 31st Mechanisms & Robotics Conference held as part of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences in Las Vegas, Nevada. The paper, "A Compliant Rotating Joint for Deployable Wings on Small UAVs," applies compliant mechanism technology to wing storage on small Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV). The design incorporates a bistable mechanism which enables the wings to extend for flight and then retract when the plane is stored. Possible applications include fitting a plane into a soldier's rucksack.