A shock absorber includes a piston valve, a body valve installed at a lower side of a tube, a lower guide member installed between the piston valve and the body valve and including a lower through-hole through which the fluid passes, and a lower passing slit formed to allow the fluid to pass therethrough at a flow rate relatively lower than a flow rate at which the fluid passes through the lower through-hole, a mid-guide member having a mid-guide hole through which the fluid passes, the mid-guide member being disposed between the piston valve and the lower guide member and configured to close the lower through-hole when the mid-guide member is in contact with the lower guide member, a first elastic member interposed between the lower guide member and the mid-guide member, and a second elastic member interposed between the piston valve and the mid-guide member.

A solar tracker system includes a support tube, a solar panel assembly connected to the support tube, and an active lock connected to the support tube. The active lock includes a housing defining a chamber and a seal. The seal prevents a flow of fluid through the chamber when the active lock is in a sealed state and allows the flow of fluid through the chamber when the active lock is in an unsealed state. The active lock further includes a locking system motor connected to the seal to transition the active lock between the sealed state and the unsealed state, a battery providing power to the locking system motor, and an antenna for receiving instructions controlling the locking system motor.

A mass damper system includes an unsprung mass, a sprung mass, a suspension component that supports the sprung mass with respect to the unsprung mass, and a damper mass that is connected to the unsprung mass. Motion control components are connected to the sprung mass and a fluid-operated system that transfers forces between the motion control components and the damper mass to regulate motion of the damper mass with respect to the unsprung mass.

In some examples, a vehicle suspension for supporting, at least in part, a sprung mass, includes a damper connected to the sprung mass, the damper including a movable piston. The vehicle suspension further includes an actuator and a controller. The controller may be configured to determine a frequency of motion associated with the sprung mass. When the frequency of motion is below a first frequency threshold, the controller may send a control signal to cause the actuator to apply a deceleration force to the sprung mass. Further, when the frequency of motion associated with the sprung mass exceeds the first frequency threshold, the controller may send a control signal to cause the actuator to apply a compensatory force to the sprung mass. For instance, a magnitude of the compensatory force may be based on a friction force determined for the damper.

A cargo receiving facility includes a net and a transport mechanism. The net is suspended among supports. The net is configured to receive a cargo dropped from an unmanned aircraft in flight. The transport mechanism is configured to transport the cargo received by the net. The net has an elasticity corresponding to a mass of the cargo. The net has openings each having a size corresponding to a pressure of down-wash from the unmanned aircraft.

Disclosed is an elastic compression device for storing, thanks to a composite spring, large elastic energies under a small mass, suitable for astronautics, aeronautics, elastic suspension elements for automotive and rail transport, and industrial mechanisms. This is achieved by a device, tolerant to damage, offering immunity to creep, shocks to corrosion and notch while reaching levels of considerable energy density, namely 1,400 J/kg, which is 4.66 times more than of steel springs. The device has a bellows shape, of its elastic element of compression, which shape includes at least one portion of an ellipse, terminated by supports. Further, the device is leakproof, so that the device can contain pressurized gas or fluid and can be used as an air or a hydraulic strut.

Devices, systems, and methods for shock absorption are provided herein. Collapsible shock absorption devices have an inner wall having at least one orifice, an outer wall, and a fluid sealed within the outer wall can mitigate sharp increases in force during loading and can better distribute loading forces. In some cases, collapsible shock absorption devices disclosed herein are used for prevention of injury to a biological tissue of a subject or damage to an inanimate object.

A shock absorbing system for force attenuation, impact modification or reduction, employs an envelope having a chamber containing a first working fluid, the envelope deformable in response to the impulse to attenuate impact force. A plurality of resilient supplemental absorber elements dispersed within the chamber. The plurality of resilient supplemental absorber elements are deformable in response to the force to assist in attenuating impact force and provide additional resilient restoring force to return the envelope to a pre-impact shape. In alternative implementations, a unitary cell for energy dissipation employs an envelope having a chamber containing a first working fluid and an inner element contained within the chamber and having an inner chamber containing a second working fluid.

A protective impact device is provided that produces an approximately constant force during compression. The device distinguishes several structural features. First, the cross-sectional area in between two impact surfaces increases over the stroke distance when compression takes place. Second, a compressible fluid containing vessel, held in between two impact surfaces, defines an outer shape with a positive second derivative slope defined from one impact surface towards the other impact surface. Third, orifices allow the fluid to bleed out from the compressible vessel when an impact force causes compression of the protective impact device. The resulting approximately constant force scales more or less linearly with impact energy, regardless of impact velocity caused by the impact force. Applications include athletic equipment, automotive bumpers, aircraft landing gear, and any other application that would benefit from maximum energy absorption during an impact.

A protective impact device is provided that produces an approximately constant force during compression. The device distinguishes several structural features. First, the cross-sectional area in between two impact surfaces increases over the stroke distance when compression takes place. Second, a compressible fluid containing vessel, held in between two impact surfaces, defines an outer shape with a positive second derivative slope defined from one impact surface towards the other impact surface. Third, orifices allow the fluid to bleed out from the compressible vessel when an impact force causes compression of the protective impact device. The resulting approximately constant force scales more or less linearly with impact energy, regardless of impact velocity caused by the impact force. Applications include athletic equipment, automotive bumpers, aircraft landing gear, and any other application that would benefit from maximum energy absorption during an impact.