Smart Materials are materials that have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external stimuli, such as stress, temperature, electric or magnetic fields, etc. Signo Motus is very active in the field of design and development of innovative devices and subsystems based on Smart Materials, in particular on Electro Rheological Fluids (ERFs). The ERFs consist of polarizable micro/nano particles (inorganic or organic) dispersed in a nonconductive low viscosity fluid (typically silicone oil). ERFs are materials that change their rheological properties by applying an electric field with intensity equal to a few kV / mm, moving from liquid to almost solid, with speeds of a few milliseconds (≈ 1 - 10 ms). ERFs can potentially be used in:
In the ERFs domain, since 2003, advanced testing methods and equipments for the characterization of ERFs to be integrated in innovative systems and subsystems have been developed by Signo Motus. The collaboration with the Department of Industrial Chemistry and Material Engineering of the University of Messina (DCIIM-UNIME) has resulted in Post Graduated and PhD Theses dealing with development of materials, testing methods and applications based on ERFs under the current agreements with the Faculty. The acquired knowledge has allowed Signo Motus to secure a relevant Research Grant in 2010 from the Italian Ministry of Defence related to the development of innovative ERFs and prototyping of advanced electro mechanical groups based on such materials (Project ADHERE - PNRM 1294 Dec 2010). Signo Motus is also performing a joint research with the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici (IPCF-CNR) for the modelling and simulation of the behaviour of nano particles dispersed in insulated fluid. It is expected that such researches will feed consistently the development of robotic and assistive devices for the rehabilitation and health domains as well as industrial applications (like shock absorbers, dumpers, clutches).
Signo Motus is currently running researches focused on ERFs applications for the robotic and health domains, gaining a significant experience on ERF, in particular in the synthesis, functionalization and physical-chemical characterization of inorganic particles (such as zeolite, barium titanate and silicon dioxide) as well as nano structures (such as core/shell or hollow nanospheres) and in the electro-mechanical characterization methods and equipments suited to enhance the knowledge on the behaviour of such materials in relation to the relevant variable dependency (e.g. size of particles, concentration, time of response, temperature, applied electric field, chemical physical stability).
In addition, with reference to electro mechanical devices based on ERFs, Signo Motus can benefit of the considerable experience acquired in the robotic field where non linear motion control techniques are applied to complex systems as well as of the experience acquired in mechanical modelling and simulation of electro mechanical devices.
