General Engineering

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Vanderbilt researchers have developed an eyeglass-compatible liquid lens that changes shape and focal depth on-demand. The wearer can adjust it to rapidly match 99% of focus corrections (-6D to +10D) by modulating a minute voltage provided by the small, built-in battery. The user can also adjust the lens' neutral, zero-voltage shape/focus in a matter of minutes. By tracking eye vergence, these lenses can even automatically change focus based on the distance of the wearer's viewing target.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel energy-harvesting device capable of efficient electrochemical strain energy harvesting at frequencies as low as 0.01 Hz. The device enables the harvesting of energy produced from low frequencies associated with human motion such as walking and sitting.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel system for allowing surgical instruments to navigate around tighter corners and access difficult-to-reach areas in the body. This system uses pre-curved elastic elements added on to the existing instrument. Current surgical instruments are manufactured in a straight-line configuration, which means they must bend in order to reach around obstructions in surgery. By adding pre-curved sections, some of the bending is already accomplished, allowing the instrument to bend around tighter corners.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel combinatorial logic circuit that prevents the propagation of signal glitches such as those caused by radiation-induced transients. The interlocked-feedback circuit accomplishes this without the loss of any speed. The circuit is designed for robustness in both combinatorial and sequential logic applications.