AI-driven robotics lab joins the hunt for materials breakthroughs

Mechanical systems are analogous to to electrical networks where springs and masses play similar roles to inductors and capacitors, respectively. A viscous damper in mechanical systems functions similarly to a resistor in electrical networks, dissipating energy. The forces acting on a mass in such systems include an applied force in the direction of motion, counteracted by forces from the spring, a viscous damper, and the mass's acceleration. This interplay of forces is mathematically...

The mechanical efficiency of a machine is a fundamental concept that describes how effectively a machine can convert input work into output work. According to this concept, the efficiency of a machine is equal to the ratio of the output work to the input work. An ideal machine, meaning a machine that has no energy losses, has an efficiency of one. This implies that the input work and the output work are equal.
However, in reality, no machine can be truly ideal, and all of them experience some...

Rolling resistance, also known as rolling friction, is the force that resists the motion of a rolling object, such as a wheel, tire, or ball, when it moves over a surface. It is caused by the deformation of the object and the surface in contact with each other, as well as other factors like internal friction, hysteresis, and energy losses within the materials. Rolling resistance opposes the object's motion, requiring additional energy to overcome it and maintain movement. In practical...