A stiffness control and systems for the same are disclosed herein. A first plate and a second plate can be connected with rigid support, a hydraulic actuator and a high roughness surface. Upon actuation, the actuator can force the high roughness surface against the first plate, thus increasing rigidity through hydraulic pressure against the first plate and the second plate. Thus, the stiffness of the surface can be altered in a variable and reversible fashion.

A grasp assist system includes a glove having a glove palm and fingers, with the glove worn on a user's hand. A sensor measures flexion of the glove fingers, and thus a change of position and/or attitude of the fingers is determined. Finger saddles at least partially surround a phalange of a respective one of the user's fingers. The system uses one or more tendon actuators to pull on flexible tendons. Each tendon connects to a respective finger saddle. A controller is in communication with the actuators and sensor(s). The glove may use feedback from optional contact sensors to adjust tension, and may have a built-in restorative force. In executing a control method, the controller selectively applies tension to the tendons in response to finger flexion, via the tendon actuators, at a level sufficient for moving the user's fingers when the user executes a hand maneuver.

The present application discloses improved lignocellulosic composite materials comprising a lignocellulosic component, a bis-electrophile, and a polynucleophile. Exemplary embodiments comprise a dianhydride and a polyol.

The present invention relates to: a floor tile including a fabric material, and comprising a balancing layer, a noise prevention layer, a functional sheet layer, a fabric material layer, and a surface coating layer; and a manufacturing method thereof and more specifically to a floor tile including a fabric material and a manufacturing method thereof, the floor tile being a functional tile having a natural texture and a three-dimensional effect possessed by the fabric material, having excellent durability, preventing delamination of the fabric material layer, exhibiting excellent mechanical properties such as tensile strength, and enhancing cleaning facilitation.

The present disclosure is directed to dielectric elastomeric composites that include a retainable processing membrane, an elastomer material, and an electrically conductive material. The elastomer layer may be partially imbibed into the retainable processing membrane. The retainable processing membrane may be porous. The retainable processing membrane is compacted in the transverse in direction, machine direction, or in both directions prior to the application of an elastomer material and an electrically conductive material. The compaction of the retainable processing membrane may form structured folds or folded fibrils in the membrane, giving the retainable processing membrane a low modulus and flexibility. In some embodiments, the dielectric composites are positioned in a stacked configuration. Alternatively, the dielectric elastomeric composites may have a wound configuration. The dielectric composites have a total thickness less than about 170 μm. The dielectric elastomeric composites may be used, for example, in dielectric elastomer actuators, sensors, and in energy harvesting.

To provide a molded product, a metal-clad laminate and a printed wiring board, each of which contains a tetrafluoroethylene type polymer, whereby an decrease in electrical characteristics is inhibited and a hole can be easily bored with UV-YAG laser; and methods for their production. A molded product containing a tetrafluoroethylene type polymer, in which the content of components other than the tetrafluoroethylene type polymer is at most 0.9 mass %, and which has a wavelength range where the extinction coefficient becomes to be from 1.2 to 4.5 at from 200 to 380 nm; and a method for its production. A metal-clad laminate having a conductive metal layer and a layer of the molded product; and a method for its production. A printed wiring board provided with the metal-clad laminate and having through-holes in the thickness direction of the polymer layer.

A hose is provided capable of meeting fireproof requirements per AS1055 under no flow condition. The hose has multiple layers of fire protection comprising a silicone rubber layer impregnated with additives including zinc borate and expandable graphite.

Textile composites for garments including footwear uppers and footwear comprising the same that provide protection from flame and liquid water whilst at the same time being lightweight and flexible for the wearer. The textile composite comprises a microfiber outer layer; a nonwoven layer, and in some embodiments a porous polymeric membrane on a support layer.

A sliding member according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a sliding member body containing a metal as a main component; and an outer layer laminated directly on a surface of the sliding member body and containing a crosslinked fluorine resin as a main component, and an arithmetic average roughness Ra1 of a surface having a waveform obtained by extracting a frequency component of a region having waviness having a frequency of not lower than 0.1 μm and not higher than 100.0 μm on a surface of the outer layer through fast Fourier transform processing, and performing inverse Fourier transform processing on data of a frequency component of a region having waviness having a frequency of not lower than 0.1 μm and not higher than 10.0 μm out of the extracted frequency component, is not greater than 0.035 μm.

An artificial leather includes a resin layer as the surface and a base fabric connected to the resin layer as the substrate. The base fabric comprises at least two monolayer structures arranged in an orderly manner as two laminates. Each monolayer structure is woven with some of the warp yarns and/or weft yarns in such layer or with some of the warp yarns and/or weft yarns in one or more other layers to form a number of connecting points, such that at least two monolayer structures arranged in an orderly manner as two laminates are connected with each other in the weaving process, forming a multi-layer integrated base fabric. The artificial leather incorporates a number of air vent holes distributed in the resin layer and the base fabric in the direction of thickness while retaining mechanical properties of tensile strength and tear resistance.