IDR: Bio-Inspired Actuators for Next Generation Infrastructure Systems

该奖项的研究目标是建立一个强大的技术基础，使生物传感器和执行器能够提高民用和机械基础设施的安全性、可靠性、寿命和功能；并通过支持跨学科合作的研究和教育，为智能更新的过程做出贡献。该方法将侧重于利用来自生物材料和生物有机体的生物灵感来开发新型致动器系统，特别是具有可调参数的被动致动器系统，以减轻地震和风力等自然灾害造成的损害。在实验剪切梁模型结构中，将采用新颖的致动器系统对实验结果与理论结果进行比较。这种比较将为开发可靠的计算工具提供信息，用于建模和优化具有可调参数的被动执行器系统的性能，并为优化被动执行器的设计提供信息。如果成功，这项研究有可能振兴结构保护领域的被动执行器。它将把基本的科学和工程原理与最先进的技术、新范例和受自然技术启发的新原型结合起来。这项研究将加强跨学科教育，致力于扩大、招募和保留代表性不足的少数民族和女性学生。PI和co -PI将向高中和暑期参与项目提供外展服务，让高中生参与实验室研究。该项目将支持两名研究生在一个跨学科的环境，将扩大他们的经验，超出他们将获得单一学科。PI和合作PI将尽一切努力招募少数民族和女性学生作为研究生研究助理和本科生研究人员参与该项目。该项目将强调与加州的MESA（数学、工程、科学成就）计划的紧密联系，该计划为教育上处于劣势的学生参与研究提供了巨大的机会。

The research objective of this award is to create a strong technological base that will enable bio-inspired sensors and actuators to improve the safety, reliability, longevity, and functionality of civil and mechanical infrastructures; and to make a contribution to the process of intelligent renewal through the support of research and education focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration. The approach will focus on using bio-inspiration from both biomaterials and biological organisms to develop novel actuator systems - especially passive actuator systems with tunable parameters - to mitigate the damage from natural disasters such as earthquakes and wind. Novel actuator systems in an experimental shear beam model structure will be used to compare experimental results to theoretical results. This comparison will inform the development of reliable computational tools for modeling and optimizing the performance of passive actuator systems with tunable parameters as well as informing the design of optimized passive actuators.If successful, this research has the potential to revitalize the field of structural protection with passive actuators. It will combine fundamental scientific and engineering principles with state-of-the-art technology, new paradigms and new prototypes inspired by nature's technology. This research will enhance interdisciplinary education with a commitment to outreach, recruitment, and retention of underrepresented minority and woman students. The PI and Co-PIs will provide outreach the High Schools and summer participation programs to get high school students involved in laboratory research. The project will support two graduate students in an interdisciplinary environment that will broaden their experience beyond what they would gain in a single discipline. The PI and Co-PIs will make every effort to recruit minority and woman students to work on the project both as graduate research assistants and as undergraduate researchers. The project will emphasize strong ties to California's MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) Program, which presents great opportunities for involving educationally disadvantaged students in research.