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Low cost sensors and materials are increasingly of interest to de- signers for developing new ways to gather 3-Dimensional input. Silicone is a low cost material with capabilities of a variety of forms and sizes, thereby facilitating flexible construction. Given these properties, users can construct unique input solutions for a variety of applications. However, aside from other existing methods of measuring volume deformation, molded silicone (without added components inside the silicone and without added external cameras) for volumetric input has not been largely explored. In this paper we present an evaluation that investigated the parameters of silicone as volumetric input. The silicone volume has no added components inside making it easy to construct and use, however some external but small, flexible, and portable low-cost components are used for deformation measurement. We present the 3-dimensional input re- sults as a function of the physical pressure on the silicone by the volume of silicone. Researchers can use these input metrics to design a silicone-based device with desired size and thickness to achieve the desired sensitivity and resolution of input for their application.
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This content will become publicly available on March 1, 2027
MicroStretch: Microstretcher designed for live imaging on microscopic stages
Deformation response evaluation is essential for understanding material behavior, providing insight into their suitability across many fields, such as biomechanics, materials science, and other engineering disciplines. Specialized applications in biomedical and soft materials demand miniaturization for testing under a microscope or spectroscopic stages. The current commercial machines on the market are often large, expensive, or heavy, making them difficult to use for specific needs. This hardware addresses this need by developing a cost-effective, miniature, and programmable system that can be tailored to individual lab requirements to fit multiple microscopic stages. By utilizing a bipolar stepper motor attached to a lead screw and sliding linear stage, programmed and controlled by an Arduino microcontroller, the system can apply specialized stretch under uniaxial static or cyclic loading. The developed system can be assembled for less than $100, making cost-effectiveness a central focus of this development. The device performance was validated using a variety of samples and microscope tests, with sample deformation captured in real time. The device is compatible with live imaging on microscopic stages, accommodating specialized research needs across applications.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2304788
- PAR ID:
- 10660078
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- HardwareX
- Volume:
- 25
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 2468-0672
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- e00737
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Micro Stretcher, Strain, Mechanical performance, Imaging, PDMS, Electrospun fibers
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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