Objective: In this work we design and evaluate a bidirectional pneumatic soft actuator made from silicone rubber (RTV2 C10) for the use in prosthetic hand. The actuator aimed to enhance flexibility and provide motion in two directions that mimic the actions of the human fingers. Materials and Methods: Two parallel air chambers are used in the actuator design where each chamber is divided into smaller internal cavities. These chambers are linked through a narrow connecting channel. The fabrication process relied on a molding technique based on 3D printed molds. Three separate mold components were designed and printed to allow accurate casting of silicone rubber into the desired shape. The completed actuators were then tested using an experimental setup. Results: We evaluate the performance of the developed actuators by measuring the maximum bending angle and output force under various air pressures. Three air-chamber dimensions (3.5 mm, 4.5 mm, and 5.5 mm) were tested to compare the actuator’s response. We noticed that the 5.5 mm chamber produced the largest bending angle whereas the 3.5 mm chamber showed the smallest. On the other hand, force analysis revealed that the actuator with 3.5 mm spacing generated the highest output force at an air pressure of 102 kPa and the 5.5 mm model returned the lowest under the same conditions. Discussion: The findings suggest that increasing the distance between air chambers enhances bending and overall flexibility where it indicates that shorter chamber spacing raises greater force. Conclusion: The developed actuator demonstrates promising properties for use in prosthetic hand designs. The bending range and force output enable the actuator for producing human-like finger motion that used in assistive robotic applications.
Random laser gain media is synthesized with different types of dye at the same concentration (1×10-3 M) as an active material and silicon dioxide NPs (silica SiO2) as scatter centers through the Sol-Gel technique. The prepared samples are tested with UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction (EDX). The end result demonstrates that doped dyes with silica nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.0016 mol/ml have lower absorbance and higher fluorescence spectra than pure dyes. FESEM scans revealed that the morphology of nanocrystalline silica is clusters of nano-sized spherical particles in the range (25-67) nm. It is con
... Show MoreVehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) are integral to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), enabling real-time communication between vehicles and infrastructure to enhance traffic flow, road safety, and passenger experience. However, the open and dynamic nature of VANETs presents significant privacy and security challenges, including data eavesdropping, message manipulation, and unauthorized access. This study addresses these concerns by leveraging advancements in Fog Computing (FC), which offers lowlatency, distributed data processing near-end devices to enhance the resilience and security of VANET communications. The paper comprehensively analyzes the security frameworks for fog-enabled VANETs, introducing a novel taxonomy that c
... Show MoreABSTRACT
Herbs and spices have long been used to support various food products, including dairy products because of their flavoring, taste, texture and general appearance as well as therapeutic properties such as antioxidant activities, infections, microbes, anti-diabetes and hypertension. Therefore, this study aimed to demonstrate the effect of adding ginger, cinnamon, lycopene extract and olive oil on the physiochemical properties, the quality of the soft cheese produced and the extent of its acceptance by the Iraqi consumer, who prefers this product in abundance to other types of cheese. So, this study was prepared
... Show MoreAlthough the events of September 2001 marked the United States' employment of solid forces in its direct comprehensive strategy to counter terrorist organizations and any other challenges to US national security, the United States did not lose sight of the importance of the cultural variable. The cultural variable is the United States' most important instrument of soft power in ensuring its dominance of the international system and promoting its global project. France viewed US soft power as a threat to its own civilizational pattern. Therefore, France considers culture to be an inherent component of its national personality and a cornerstone of its international standing as a major force. Additionally, the US-French political and economic
... Show MoreSome new heterocyclic compounds containing, cyclohexenone, indazole, isoxazoline, pyrmidine and pyrazoline ring system were prepared from chalcones (1a,b). The starting chalcones (1a,b) were obtained by a base catalyzed condensation of appropriately substituted benzaldehydes and 2-acetylbenzofuran. The reaction of the prepared chalcones with ethylacetoacetate/hydrazine hydrate, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, urea, thiourea, hydrazine hydrate, phenyl hydrazine or hydrazide derivatives gave the mentioned heterocycles. All synthesized compounds have been characterized by physical and spectral methods.
Low bearing capacity of weak soil under shallow footings represents one of construction problems.
Kaolin with water content converges to liquid limit used to represent the weak soil under shallow
footing prototype. On the other hand, fly ash, which can be defined as undesirable industrial waste
material, was used to improve the bearing capacity of the soft soil considered in this research. The soft
soil was prepared in steel box (36×36×25) cm and shallow square footing prototype (6×6) cm were
used .Group of physical and chemical tests were conducted on kaolin and fly ash. The soft soil was
improved by a bed of compacted fly ash placed under the footing with dimensions equal to that of
footing but with different de
Single-photon detection concept is the most crucial factor that determines the performance of quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. In this paper, a simulator with time domain visualizers and configurable parameters using continuous time simulation approach is presented for modeling and investigating the performance of single-photon detectors operating in Gieger mode at the wavelength of 830 nm. The widely used C30921S silicon avalanche photodiode was modeled in terms of avalanche pulse, the effect of experiment conditions such as excess voltage, temperature and average photon number on the photon detection efficiency, dark count rate and afterpulse probability. This work shows a general repeatable modeling process for significant perform
... Show MoreThis paper discusses using H2 and H∞ robust control approaches for designing control systems. These approaches are applied to elementary control system designs, and their respective implementation and pros and cons are introduced. The H∞ control synthesis mainly enforces closed-loop stability, covering some physical constraints and limitations. While noise rejection and disturbance attenuation are more naturally expressed in performance optimization, which can represent the H2 control synthesis problem. The paper also applies these two methodologies to multi-plant systems to study the stability and performance of the designed controllers. Simulation results show that the H2 controller tracks a desirable cl
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