Pint of Robotics: Shuaijian Yang and Dr. Benjamin Calmé (PhD)

Speaker 1: Shuaijian Yang (Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds).

Title: Design of Adhesive Dry Electrodes

Bio: Shuaijian Yang obtained his bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2019. In 2018, he completed an exchange program in UC Berkeley, and meanwhile an internship in Prof. Jay T. Groves’ group. He is currently doing his Ph.D. studies under the supervision of Dr Samit Chakrabarty from University of Leeds and Prof. Xingyu Jiang from Southern University of Science and Technology. His research interests include conductive polymers, flexible electronics and electrophysiology.

Abstract: Surface electromyography (sEMG) can provide multiplexed information about muscle performance. If current sEMG electrodes are stretchable and arrayed, they would offer high-quality monitoring. These properties can accelerate the widespread use of sEMG. Here, we achieve those properties by design of an adhesive dry electrode using tannic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, and PEDOT:PSS (TPP). The TPP electrode offers superior stretchability (~200%) and adhesiveness (0.58 N/cm) compared to current electrodes. Additionally, we developed a metal-polymer electrode array patch (MEAP) comprising liquid metal circuits and TPP electrodes. The MEAP demonstrated better conformability than commercial arrays, resulting in higher signal-to-noise ratio and more stable recordings during muscle movements. Manufactured using scalable screen-printing, these MEAPs feature a completely stretchable material and array architecture, enabling real-time monitoring of muscle stress, fatigue, and tendon displacement. Their potential to reduce muscle and tendon injuries and enhance performance in daily exercise and professional sports holds great promise.

Speaker 2:  Dr. Benjamin Calmé (PhD), (University of Leeds).

Title: Towards a Discrete Snake-Like Robot Based on SMA-Actuated Tristable Modules for Follow the Leader Control Strategy.

Bio: Benjamin has recently joined the University of Leeds as a Research Fellow specializing in Soft Magnetic Surgical Robots. He earned his PhD in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering from the University of Montpellier.

Abstract: My presentation will focus on the research work I carried out during my thesis in France, namely rethinking the design approach for medical endoscopes. More specifically, the application initially targeted during the design was the diagnosis and treatment of oesophageal cancers. The design of this prototype was part of an approach to produce patient-specific, procedure-specific and low-cost medical devices, in collaboration with patients and surgeons. Using compliant/flexible mechanisms, used in watchmaking and aerospace, and 3D printing, a prototype was produced. Its architecture gives it special features, such as a discreet workspace, around which a deployment strategy has been developed.