4 accepted papers
Springs are efficient in storing and returning elastic potential energy but are unable to hold the energy they store in the absence of an external load. Lockable springs use clutches to hold elastic potential energy in the absence of an external load, but have not yet been widely adopted in applicat…
Sitting down and standing up from a chair and, similarly, moving heavy objects up and down between factory lines are examples of cyclic tasks that require large forces but little to no net mechanical energy. Motor-driven artificial limbs and industrial robots can help humans do these tasks, but moto
Theory suggests a linear relation between stiffness and the energy stored by a linear helical spring at constant deformation. This relation implies that increasing the stiffness of a helical spring upon deformation requires more energy at larger deformations. State-of-the-art variable stiffness spri…
Theory suggests an inverse relation between the stiffness and the energy storage capacity for linear helical springs: reducing the active length of the spring by 50% increases its stiffness by 100%, but reduces its energy storage capacity by 50%. State-of-the-art variable stiffness actuators used to…