The Vision Robotics SCOPE team will conceptualize, design, and prototype an automated fruit picking end effector for use by the tree fruit industry. The design will include considerations for low production costs, a life time on the order of millions of cycles, and a picking time of less than a second.
We study the existence of multiple equilibrium states in a simple fluid network using Newtonian fluids and laminar flow. We demonstrate theoretically the presence of hysteresis and bistability, and we confirm these predictions in an experiment using two miscible fluids of different viscosity—sucrose solution and water. Possible applications include blood flow, microfluidics, and other network flows governed by similar principles.
The Nicastro Lab at Brandeis University is studying the 3D structure of cells and macromolecules in their native state. High-resolution imaging of sections of life-like, preserved cells via electron microscopy is currently difficult, if not impossible, because current sample preparation methods result in numerous cutting artifacts that distort the sample. The Olin SCOPE team developed a prototype device to manipulate specimens at cryogenic temperatures in order to reduce cutting artifacts. Crucial challenges for the team included high-precision machine design, extreme temperatures and highly localized temperature control. This work was primarily supported through a MRSEC grant from the National Science Foundation.