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This paper aims to investigate the electrochromic (EC) properties of poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) and poly(triphenylamine aryl ether) in two different electrolyte solution to study the resistive switching behaviour of acid-doped poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether).

By Buchwald–Hartwig coupling reaction, two novel poly[N-p-phenoxy-N-[4-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy]triphenylamineandpoly[N,N-bis(4-phenoxy)]triphenylamine were synthesized from 4-phenoxyaniline and two dibromo aromatic compounds, 1,2-bis[β,β′-(p-bromophenoxy)ethoxy]ethane and bis(4-bromophenyl) ether.

Poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) displayed excellent EC characteristics, with a coloration change from a colourless neutral state to light blue and red oxidized states, while poly(triphenylamine aryl ether) showed coloration a change from a colourless neutral state to light blue oxidized state in tetrabutylammonium perchlorate electrolyte solution. Moreover, p-toluenesulfonic acid-doped poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) exhibited a non-volatile bistable resistive switching behaviour with a high high-conductivity/low-conductivity ratio of up to 104, long retention time exceeding 2.5 × 10³ s and the switching threshold voltage was also lower than −2V.

In this paper, the non-volatile bistable resistive switching behaviour of acid-dopedpoly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) was in accordance with the molar ratio of 1:1. The effects of different molar ratios remained to be studied.

Poly(triphenylamine ether)s may find optoelectronic applications as new EC and resistive switching materials.

The effects of alkyl and aryl ether structures in the main chain on the EC and resistive switching behaviour of triphenylamine unit have not yet been reported.

This paper aims to discuss the conceptualisation, design and realisation of a robotic membrane. Presenting research taking place between the cross‐over among architecture, technical textiles and computer science, the paper seeks to explore the theoretical as well as the practical foundations for the making of a dynamic architecture.

The project employs an architectural design method developing working demonstrators. The paper asks how a material can be described through its behavioural as well as its formal properties. As new materials such as conductive and resistive fibres as well as smart memory alloys and polymers are developed, it becomes possible to create new hybrid materials that incorporate the possibility for state change.

The paper presents the first explorations into the making of architectural membranes that integrate systems for steering using traditional textile technologies. This paper presents a series of architectural investigations and models that seek to explore the conceptual, computational and the technological challenges of a robotic membrane.

The paper presents original thinking and technical innovation into the making of textile spaces.

The purpose of this paper is to present an exhaustive review of research studies and activities in the inkjet printing of conductive materials.

This paper gives a detailed literature survey of research carried out in inkjet printing of conductive materials.

This article explains the inkjet printing process and the various types of conductive inks. It then examines the various factors that affect the quality of inkjet printed interconnects such as printing parameters, materials and substrate treatments. Methods of characterising both the inkjet printing process and the electrical properties of printed conductive materials are also presented. Finally relevant applications of this technology are described.

Inkjet printing is currently one of the cheapest direct write techniques for manufacturing. The use of this technique in electronic manufacturing, where interconnects and other conductive features are required is an area of increasing relevance to the fields of electronics manufacturing, packaging and assembly. This review paper would therefore be of great value and interest to this community.

A new range of precision all‐steel frame guillotine shearing machines, to be marketed under the registered trade name of Besco‐Truccut, has been announced by F. J. Edwards Ltd., 359‐361 Euston Road, London, N.W.1.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate damaging processes in TaN thin film absorbers under action of high-voltage electrical pulse of nanosecond duration. Despite having mechanical origin of crack opening, estimation based on the readings from oscillograms shows uncharacteristically high velocities of the crack propagation.

Microscopic images of damaged absorbers showing the final result of the damaging process provided initial information about its geometrical peculiarities. Then, to clarify the dynamics of the process, the authors create the model of the crack, having elements of self-similarities and multiple stage opening. The influence of heating induced by current concentration at crack tip and of magnetic stress of this concentrated current are both included in the model.

Using physical parameters of TaN layers with flowing current and performing calculations the authors define the conditions required to initiate the damaging process and to sustain it. Danger of such damage is relevant for high-T_c superconducting thin films after their switching to normal state which is induced by the high-voltage pulse.

There were made recommendations to manufactures aiming to improve electrical durability of the absorbers in an effort to prevent the damaging influence of power nanosecond electrical pulses.

Three stage opening model implies the appearance of zone of high-energy dissipation that can lead to detonation-like destruction of the film and, therefore, explain the high velocities of crack propagation.

This paper seeks to examine the practical construction of a patented intelligent article of clothing with active thermal protection, outer shell with a variable thickness, system of thermoinsulating chambers, sensors and measuring systems, microcontroller and control system, actuator system and power supply system based on hardware aspect.

Based on practical construction and software aspect, a measuring and control program with algorithm of intelligent behavior is presented.

An intelligent article of clothing with thermal protection like a complex technical system consisting of a very complex architecture connected by different bus types to constitute a complex system acting synchronously and effectively controlled by the microcontroller containing the program which is based on the algorithm of the intelligent behavior.

The technical systems described represent a suitable basis for experiments and scientific research during the introduction of intelligent clothing with active thermal protection into human life.

Introduction of intelligent clothing into human life.

The prototype of an intelligent article of clothing with active thermal protection was designed and constructed. At the moment it is being subjected to the first experiments of functional investigations of intelligent clothing with active thermal protection.

In this chapter, an attempt has been made to develop a security-based hardware system using an 8-bit single-chip microcontroller in conjunction with some sensor technology and lighting and alarming actuators. The proposed system aims to ensure the security and privacy of a dedicated area in terms of unauthorized human intrusion, hazardous gas leakage, extreme prolonged temperature changes, atypical smoke or vapor content in space and abrupt drop in illumination. The proposed system is capable of detecting any type of physical intervention and hazardous anomalies in the environment of the reserved space. In order to define the operation of the system, programs written in C++ with the special rule of code structuring have been deployed on the microcontroller using the Arduino Integrated Development Environment. The system is like a small container, enclosing all the respective sensor modules, microcontroller board and open connections for actuators. The proposed system is easy to use hardware and does not demand any human intervention for its functioning and can be installed with almost no changes in the infrastructure.

At the moment, in terms of both research and commercial products, smart shoe technology and applications seem not to attract the same magnitude of attention compared to smart garments and other smart wearables such as wrist watches and wrist bands. The purpose of this study is to fill this knowledge gap by discussing issues regarding smart shoe sensing technologies, smart shoe sensor placements, factors that affect sensor placements and finally the areas of smart shoe applications.

Through a review of relevant literature, this study first and foremost attempts to explain what constitutes a smart shoe and subsequently discusses the current trends in smart shoe applications. Discussed in this study are relevant sensing technologies, sensor placement and areas of smart shoe applications.

This study outlined 13 important areas of smart shoe applications. It also uncovered that majority of smart shoe functionality are physical activity tracking, health rehabilitation and ambulation assistance for the blind. Also highlighted in this review are some of the bottlenecks of smart shoe development.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review paper focused on smart shoe applications, and therefore serves as an apt reference for researchers within the field of smart footwear.

The problem of robotic co-manipulation is often addressed using impedance control based methods where the authors seek to establish a mathematical relation between the velocity of the human-robot interaction point and the force applied by the human operator (HO) at this point. This paper aims to address the problem of co-manipulation for handling tasks seen as a constrained optimal control problem.

The proposed point of view relies on the implementation of a specific online trajectory generator (OTG) associated with a kinematic feedback loop. This OTG is designed so as to translate the HO intentions to ideal trajectories that the robot must follow. It works as an automaton with two states of motion whose transitions are controlled by comparing the magnitude of the force to an adjustable threshold, in order to enable the operator to keep authority over the robot's states of motion.

To ensure the smoothness of the interaction, the authors propose to generate a velocity profile collinear to the force applied at the interaction point. The feedback control loop is then used to satisfy the requirements of stability and of trajectory tracking to guarantee assistance and operator security. The overall strategy is applied to the penducobot problem.

The approach stands out for the nature of the problem to be tackled (heavy load handling tasks) and for its vision on the co-manipulation. It is based on the implementation of two main ingredients. The first one lies in the online generation of an appropriate trajectory of the interaction point located at the end-effector and describing the HO intention. The other consists in the design of a control structure allowing a good tracking of the generated trajectory.

A scenario is given of a possible library of the future. Such a library might have shelves containing talking books, video cassettes, computer programs on floppy disks and the entire contents of Chemical Abstracts and Encyclopaedia Brittanica on biochips. The catalogue of the library stock and the reference books might well be stored on optical disks and viewed on flat screens. Information on the classification scheme and how to use the collection might be provided by listening to tape recordings and voice synthesisers might inform borrowers where to return items. Robots collect these items from dispensers and replace them on the shelves. Each item in the library has a barcode which is scanned by a laser to provide details of loans/returns and patrons. Terminals linked to computers via satellites enable distant files to be searched on demand for information not stored in the library. Most of the journals taken by the library will be in digital form but a touch of a button on the terminal causes the images to be printed out locally. Fact or fiction? The paper goes on to describe some of the equipment that is currently available to them in the future (such as holography, robotics and satellites). Where we are now in terms of technological developments in libraries and information centres is discussed with reference to some actual projects such as Maggie's Place and Dave's Den. Finally, the impact of such futuristic, electronic libraries on the user as well as the librarian is considered.