Compliant mechanisms utilize the deformation of the elastic members to achieve the desired motion. Currently, design and analysis of compliant mechanisms rely on several commercial dynamics and finite element simulation tools. However, these tools do not implement the most recently developed theories in compliant mechanism research. DAS 2D is a conceptual design tool which integrates the recently developed pseudo-rigid-body models.

This paper presents the automated testing of accelerometer transverse sensitivity with a flexure-based compliant stage. An experimental platform is set up, and the circular tracking error is first obtained to verify the feasibility of the stage. The transverse sensitivity of the accelerometer under test is below 3 %. The difference of the transverse sensitivity under various frequencies is 0.4 %, while the difference of measured direction angle is 2.49, which validates the accuracy of the method.

Inspired by stem cell whereas different from the other robot "cell" or "molecule", a fundamental mechanical stem cell is proposed leading to the development of mechanical cells, bones and a Sarrus-linkage-based muscle. Using the proposed bones and muscles, a bio-inspired modular-based five-degrees-of-freedom robotic arm is developed to show that the stem-cell inspired pure mechanical stem cell has parallels in biology and provides a modular flexible way to build robotic arm and development.

An energy calculation model of outgoing conveyor with the application of a transfer chute with the damping plate was used. The direction and orientation of material impact have a direct influence on the conveyor's energy intensity. For the effective operation of conveyor belts, attention must be paid to the construction of the area of movement, especially in the outgoing conveyor. The other issue to be considered is the direction and orientation of material impact.

This article addresses the thermoelastic interaction due to inclined load on a homogeneous isotropic half-space in context of two-temperature generalized theory of thermoelasticity with dual-phase-lags. The governing equations are solved by using the normal mode analysis. The variations of the displacement, stress, conductive temperature, and thermodynamic temperature distributions with the horizontal distance have been shown graphically.

Although Portugal is a country with high levels of irradiation, the investment in solar concentrator systems is virtually non-existent. Considering the solar potential and the high efficiency of solar dishes, this work pretends to demonstrate the added-value of the application of this technology. The development of a solar dish concentrator with a low cost tracking system allows to expand its application and disseminate the system into a wider market.

This paper proposes a general method for the design of compliant parallel robots that can be actively controlled by linear actuators. This method firstly designs an original robot with desired mobility and then adds actuation legs in an appropriate way. Analytical modelling has been carried out to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the method.