Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Lung Capacity01:47

Lung Capacity

56.2K
The air in the lungs is measured in volumes and capacities. Lung volume measures reflect the amount of air taken in, released, or left over after a lung function, like a single inhalation. Lung capacity measures are sums of two or more lung volume measures.
56.2K
Capacitor With A Dielectric01:18

Capacitor With A Dielectric

4.9K
Parallel plate capacitors consist of two conducting plates separated by a certain distance. However, it is mechanically difficult to hold the large plates parallel to each other without actual contact. Hence, a dielectric layer is commonly placed between the plates, which provides an easy solution for holding the plates together with a small gap and increases the capacitance of the capacitor.
Dielectrics are non-conducting materials with no free or loosely bound electrons. When a dielectric is...
4.9K
Gauss's Law in Dielectrics01:17

Gauss's Law in Dielectrics

5.1K
Consider a polar dielectric placed in an external field. In such a dielectric, opposite charges on adjacent dipoles neutralize each other, such that the net charge within the dielectric is zero. When a polar dielectric is inserted in between the capacitor plates, an electric field is generated due to the presence of net charges near the edge of the dielectric and the metal plates interface. Since the external electrical field merely aligns the dipoles, the dielectric as a whole is neutral. An...
5.1K
Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor01:31

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor

5.9K
The presence of a dielectric medium in a capacitor not only changes the voltage and capacitance but also affects the electric field. In general, dielectrics can be of two types: polar and nonpolar. In a polar dielectric, the positive and negative charges in the molecules are separated by a distance and hence have a permanent dipole moment. In contrast, no such charge separation exists in a nonpolar dielectric, however the nonpolar molecules get polarized in the presence of an external electric...
5.9K
Variability: Analysis01:11

Variability: Analysis

471
Measures of variability are statistical metrics that reveal the dispersion pattern within a dataset. They are pivotal in biostatistics, providing insights into the heterogeneity within health and biological data. Variability signifies the degree to which data points diverge from one another, helping researchers understand the potential range of values and associated uncertainty within the data.
The range is a simple measure of variability, indicating the difference between the highest and...
471
Random Variables01:09

Random Variables

17.6K
A random variable is a single numerical value that indicates the outcome of a procedure. The concept of random variables is fundamental to the probability theory and was introduced by a Russian mathematician, Pafnuty Chebyshev, in the mid-nineteenth century.
Uppercase letters such as X or Y denote a random variable. Lowercase letters like x or y denote the value of a random variable. If X is a random variable, then X is written in words, and x is given as a number.
For example, let X = the...
17.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Clinical characteristics and serum HDL-C are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with acute decompensated heart failure with preserved ejection fraction at admission.

Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine·2026
Same author

Impact of Human Activities and Climate Change on Chinese Forest Musk Deer (<i>Moschus berezovskii</i>).

Biology·2026
Same author

Nocturnal Mating Behavior in Tibetan Macaques: The Low-Ranking Male's Path to Mating Success.

American journal of primatology·2026
Same author

[Rapid evaluation of frying degree of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen based on spectrophotometry and near-infrared spectroscopy combined with multivariate mathematical statistics].

Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica·2026
Same author

Carbon regulation and environmental sustainability: The role of market-based instruments in driving green innovation.

Journal of environmental management·2025
Same author

Dynamic capture enabled by sequential phase-switching adhesion.

Science advances·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators
10:32

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Published on: February 1, 2016

34.6K

Bioinspired Variable Stiffness Dielectric Elastomer Actuators with Large and Tunable Load Capacity.

Wen-Bo Li1, Wen-Ming Zhang1, Hong-Xiang Zou1

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Soft Robotics
|May 7, 2019
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a bioinspired variable stiffness dielectric elastomer actuator (VSDEA) mimicking monocot leaves. This novel actuator demonstrates tunable stiffness and enhanced load capacity, proving useful for soft robotics and vibration control.

Keywords:
curved stripdielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs)load capacityvariable stiffness

More Related Videos

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators
12:04

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

9.4K
Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air
08:57

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air

Published on: February 5, 2017

9.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators
10:32

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Published on: February 1, 2016

34.6K
Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators
12:04

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

9.4K
Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air
08:57

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air

Published on: February 5, 2017

9.5K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Robotics
  • Biomimetics

Background:

  • Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) offer promising capabilities for soft robotics and adaptive structures.
  • Controlling the stiffness of DEAs is crucial for applications requiring adaptable mechanical properties.
  • Bioinspiration offers novel design principles for enhanced actuator performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and investigate a bioinspired variable stiffness dielectric elastomer actuator (VSDEA).
  • To mimic the leaf habit of monocots for a novel actuator design.
  • To explore the tunable stiffness and load-bearing capacity of the VSDEA.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a flexible strip VSDEA with a curved cross-section and a tip dielectric elastomer minimum energy structure (DEMES).
  • Utilized an arc fixture to replicate the leaf-stem connection in monocots for clamping.
  • Experimentally investigated the effects of applied voltage and design parameters on bending behavior.

Main Results:

  • Bending stiffness decreases approximately linearly with increasing applied voltage, enabling precise stiffness control.
  • The bioinspired clamping mechanism enhances load capacity, tunable via applied voltage.
  • Achieved maximum relative stiffness and critical load changes of 71.8% and 75.6% respectively (0–5.6 kV).
  • Maximum stiffness (157.8 N/m) and critical load (889.9 mN) are significantly higher than general DEAs, supporting payloads 139 times their weight.

Conclusions:

  • The bioinspired VSDEA offers significant advancements in tunable stiffness and load capacity.
  • The design effectively leverages biomimicry for superior actuator performance.
  • Potential applications include soft robots, vibration control systems, and morphing structures.