Hard materials don’t always work well in robotics. Here, researchers build soft actuators that can bend, curl, and tighten in order to manipulate objects. They begin by injecting liquid elastomer Keep reading
Tag: viscoelasticity
Spinning Tops
What does the flow look like around a spinning top? Here, researchers used dye to visualize what happens in a Newtonian fluid (like air or water) as well as a Keep reading
Elastic Turbulence
Decades ago, engineers pumping polymer-filled drilling liquids into porous rock noticed sudden and dramatic increases in the viscosity of the liquid. Within the tiny pores of the rock, conventional (i.e., Keep reading
“The Green Reapers”
This short film from artist Thomas Blanchard focuses on carnivorous plants and their prey. These plants — including Venus fly traps, sundews, and pitcher plants — rely on fluids both Keep reading
Hagfish Slime
The eel-like hagfish is a superpowered escape artist, thanks to its slime. When threatened, the hagfish releases long protein-rich threads that, when combined with turbulent sea water, unravel to form Keep reading
Twisting Free
Anyone who’s dealt with hot glue guns is familiar with the long, thin tails of glue they leave behind. 3D printers suffer from a similar problem with the nozzle pulls Keep reading
Microjets and Needle-Free Injection
Some people don’t mind needles, and others absolutely detest them. But to replace needles with needle-free injections, we have to understand how high-speed microjets pass through skin. Given skin’s opacity, Keep reading
Dripping With Particles
Adding just a little polymer to a fluid can make it viscoelastic and drastically change how it drips. A pure, viscoelastic fluid (left) necks down to a thin filament thanks Keep reading
Snail Locomotion
Snails and other gastropods move using their single muscular foot and a viscoelastic fluid they secrete. Muscular waves in the foot run from tail to head and are transmitted to Keep reading
Reader Question: Kinetic Sand
An inquiring reader wants to know: How does kinetic sand work to make it flow like a liquid? Thanks! – 3 Year Olds Everywhere I confess I don’t have any Keep reading