An energy-embodied paralleled liquid manipulation for equipment-free, quantitative multiplexed liver function monitoring.

Comprehensive liver function monitoring is vital for liver damage diagnoses. However, multiplexed testing with clinical accuracy often requires paralleled liquid manipulation to avoid reagent interference and nonspecific adsorption, making it restricted to centralized facilities and specialists. Here, we report an equipment-free, quantitative, and multiplexed point-of-care testing (POCT), the energy-embodied POCT (EE-POCT).

Muscle-inspired elasto-electromagnetic mechanism in autonomous insect robots.

In nature, the dynamic contraction and relaxation of muscle in animals provide the essential force and deformation necessary for diverse locomotion, enabling them to navigate and overcome environmental challenges. However, most autonomous robotic systems still rely on conventional rigid motors, lacking the adaptability and resilience of muscle-like actuators. Existing artificial muscles, while promising for soft actuation, often require demanding operational conditions that hinder their use in onboard-powered small autonomous systems.

Wireless transmission of internal hazard signals in Li-ion batteries.

High-capacity lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play a critical role as power sources across diverse applications, including portable electronics, electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable-energy-storage systems. However, there is growing concern about the safety of integrated LIB systems, with reports of up to 9,486 incidents between 2020 and 2024 (ref. ).

A non-electrical pneumatic hybrid oscillator for high-frequency multimodal robotic locomotion.

Pneumatic oscillators, incorporating soft non-electrical logic gates, offer an efficient means of actuating robots to perform tasks in extreme environments. However, the current design paradigms for these devices typically feature uniform structures with low rigidity, which restricts their oscillation frequency and limits their functions. Here, we present a pneumatic hybrid oscillator that integrates a snap-through buckling beam, fabric chambers, and a switch valve into its hybrid architecture.

Biodegradable origami enables closed-loop sustainable robotic systems.

Robots are increasingly integral across various sectors due to their efficiency and superior capabilities, which enable performance beyond human potential. However, the development of robotic systems often conflicts with the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations, as they generate considerable nondegradable waste and organic/inorganic pollutants throughout their life cycle. In this paper, we introduce a dual closed-loop robotic system that integrates biodegradable, sustainable materials such as plasticized cellulose films and NaCl-infused ionic conductive gelatin organogels.

Subchronic Exposure to Low-Dose Chlorfenapyr and Emamectin Benzoate Disrupts Kidney Metabolism in Rats.

Residues of the pesticides chlorfenapyr (CFP) and emamectin benzoate (EMB) often coexist in the environment and can be accumulated in the body. To understand the impact of these two chemicals on health, we investigated their effect on the kidneys. In this study, rats were treated with CFP and/or EMB at low/medium/high doses of 1/3/9 mg/kg/day and 0.

Bioelastic state recovery for haptic sensory substitution.

The rich set of mechanoreceptors found in human skin offers a versatile engineering interface for transmitting information and eliciting perceptions, potentially serving a broad range of applications in patient care and other important industries. Targeted multisensory engagement of these afferent units, however, faces persistent challenges, especially for wearable, programmable systems that need to operate adaptively across the body. Here we present a miniaturized electromechanical structure that, when combined with skin as an elastic, energy-storing element, supports bistable, self-sensing modes of deformation.

Energy-efficient dynamic 3D metasurfaces via spatiotemporal jamming interleaved assemblies for tactile interfaces.

Inspired by the natural shape-morphing abilities of biological organisms, we introduce a strategy for creating energy-efficient dynamic 3D metasurfaces through spatiotemporal jamming of interleaved assemblies. Our approach, diverging from traditional shape-morphing techniques reliant on continuous energy inputs, utilizes strategically jammed, paper-based interleaved assemblies. By rapidly altering their stiffness at various spatial points and temporal phases during the relaxation of the soft substrate through jamming, we enable the formation of refreshable, intricate 3D shapes with a desirable load-bearing capability.

Quantitative softness and texture bimodal haptic sensors for robotic clinical feature identification and intelligent picking.

Replicating human somatosensory networks in robots is crucial for dexterous manipulation, ensuring the appropriate grasping force for objects of varying softness and textures. Despite advances in artificial haptic sensing for object recognition, accurately quantifying haptic perceptions to discern softness and texture remains challenging. Here, we report a methodology that uses a bimodal haptic sensor to capture multidimensional static and dynamic stimuli, allowing for the simultaneous quantification of softness and texture features.

A mechanically robust and facile shape morphing using tensile-induced buckling.

Inspired by the adaptive mechanisms observed in biological organisms, shape-morphing soft structures have emerged as promising platforms for many applications. In this study, we present a shape-morphing strategy to overcome existing limitations of the intricate fabrication process and the lack of mechanical robustness against mechanical perturbations. Our method uses tensile-induced buckling, achieved by attaching restraining strips to a stretchable substrate.

Mechanical Metamaterials for Handwritten Digits Recognition.

The increasing needs for new types of computing lie in the requirements in harsh environments. In this study, the successful development of a non-electrical neural network is presented that functions based on mechanical computing. By overcoming the challenges of low mechanical signal transmission efficiency and intricate layout design methodologies, a mechanical neural network based on bistable kirigami-based mechanical metamaterials have designed.

Physics-supervised deep learning-based optimization (PSDLO) with accuracy and efficiency.

Identifying efficient and accurate optimization algorithms is a long-desired goal for the scientific community. At present, a combination of evolutionary and deep-learning methods is widely used for optimization. In this paper, we demonstrate three cases involving different physics and conclude that no matter how accurate a deep-learning model is for a single, specific problem, a simple combination of evolutionary and deep-learning methods cannot achieve the desired optimization because of the intrinsic nature of the evolutionary method.

Plug & play origami modules with all-purpose deformation modes.

Three basic deformation modes of an object (bending, twisting, and contraction/extension) along with their various combinations and delicate controls lead to diverse locomotion. As a result, seeking mechanisms to achieve simple to complex deformation modes in a controllable manner is a focal point in related engineering fields. Here, a pneumatic-driven, origami-based deformation unit that offers all-purpose deformation modes, namely, three decoupled basic motion types and four combinations of these three basic types, with seven distinct motion modes in total through one origami module, was created and precisely controlled through various pressurization schemes.

Bioinspired helical-artificial fibrous muscle structured tubular soft actuators.

Biological tubular actuators show diverse deformations, which allow for sophisticated deformations with well-defined degrees of freedom (DOF). Nonetheless, synthetic active tubular soft actuators largely only exhibit few simple deformations with limited and undesignable DOF. Inspired by 3D fibrous architectures of tubular muscular hydrostats, we devised conceptually new helical-artificial fibrous muscle structured tubular soft actuators (HAFMS-TSAs) with locally tunable molecular orientations, materials, mechanics, and actuation via a modular fabrication platform using a programmable filament winding technique.

Soft and lightweight fabric enables powerful and high-range pneumatic actuation.

Soft structures and actuation allow robots, conventionally consisting of rigid components, to perform more compliant, adaptive interactions similar to living creatures. Although numerous functions of these types of actuators have been demonstrated in the literature, their hyperelastic designs generally suffer from limited workspaces and load-carrying capabilities primarily due to their structural stretchability factor. Here, we describe a series of pneumatic actuators based on soft but less stretchable fabric that can simultaneously perform tunable workspace and bear a high payload.

The role of intercellular junction proteins in the penetration resistance of Drosophila larvae to avermectin.

Insecticide resistance has become an increasingly serious challenge for agriculture in the world. To reveal the mechanisms of insecticide resistance, majority of studies have been carried out on the insensitivity of insecticide targets and the metabolism of insecticides. However, the mechanism of the insecticide penetration resistance in insects remains unclear.

Rechargeable Metasurfaces for Dynamic Color Display Based on a Compositional and Mechanical Dual-Altered Mechanism.

Dynamic color display can be realized by tunable optical metasurfaces based on the compositional or structural control. However, it is still a challenge to realize the efficient modulation by a single-field method. Here, we report a novel compositional and mechanical dual-altered rechargeable metasurface for reversible and broadband optical reconfiguration in both visible and near-infrared wavelength regions.

Buckling-induced wavy optical fiber attenuator.

An optical attenuator is an optical device that can modulate the power level of an optical signal. Based on the macro-bending loss of optical fibers, we present a wavy fiber attenuator where the attenuation level can be controlled by a mechanical-induced buckling of the fiber. By bonding a fiber to a prestretched substrate and then releasing the prestrain, the fiber flexes into a sinusoidal wavy curve due to the constraints of the substrate.

Safety and immunogenicity of a primary series and booster dose of the meningococcal serogroup B-factor H binding protein vaccine (MenB-FHbp) in healthy children aged 1-9 years: two phase 2 randomised, controlled, observer-blinded studies.

Background: The meningococcal serogroup B-factor H binding protein vaccine (MenB-FHbp) is licensed for use in children aged 10 years or older for protection against invasive serogroup B meningococcal disease. Because young children are at increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease, MenB-FHbp clinical data in this population are needed.

Methods: We conducted two phase 2 randomised, controlled, observer-blinded studies including healthy toddlers (age 12-23 months) across 26 Australian, Czech, Finnish, and Polish centres, and older children (age 2-9 years) across 14 Finnish and Polish centres.

A film-lever actuated switch technology for multifunctional, on-demand, and robust manipulation of liquids.

A lab-on-a-chip system with Point-of-Care testing capability offers rapid and accurate diagnostic potential and is useful in resource-limited settings where biomedical equipment and skilled professionals are not readily available. However, a Point-of-Care testing system that simultaneously possesses all required features of multifunctional dispensing, on-demand release, robust operations, and capability for long-term reagent storage is still a major challenge. Here, we describe a film-lever actuated switch technology that can manipulate liquids in any direction, provide accurate and proportional release response to the applied pneumatic pressure, as well as sustain robustness during abrupt movements and vibrations.

Mobile3DScanner: An Online 3D Scanner for High-quality Object Reconstruction with a Mobile Device.

We present a novel online 3D scanning system for high-quality object reconstruction with a mobile device, called Mobile3DScanner. Using a mobile device equipped with an embedded RGBD camera, our system provides online 3D object reconstruction capability for users to acquire high-quality textured 3D object models. Starting with a simultaneous pose tracking and TSDF fusion module, our system allows users to scan an object with a mobile device to get a 3D model for real-time preview.

Persistence of hSBA titers elicited by the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine menB-FHbp for up to 4 years after a 2- or 3-dose primary series and immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of a booster dose through 26 months.

Background: To demonstrate extended protection against meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) disease after MenB-FHbp (bivalent rLP2086) vaccination, this study evaluated immunopersistence through 26 months following MenB-FHbp boosting after 2 or 3 primary doses in adolescents.

Study Design: This phase 3, open-label study was an extension of 3 phase 2 studies with participants aged 11-18 years randomized to receive primary MenB-FHbp vaccination following 1 of 5 dosing schedules or control. A booster dose was administered 48 months after the primary series.

In situ stiffness manipulation using elegant curved origami.

The capability of stiffness manipulation for materials and structures is essential for tuning motion, saving energy, and delivering high power. However, high-efficiency in situ stiffness manipulation has not yet been successfully achieved despite many studies from different perspectives. Here, curved origami patterns were designed to accomplish in situ stiffness manipulation covering positive, zero, and negative stiffness by activating predefined creases on one curved origami pattern.