A soft sensor includes an elastic sheet, which includes a first elastic layer and a second elastic layer facing each other, and a sensor unit formed by printing a predetermined conductive liquid metal between the first elastic layer and the second elastic layer. A hand-wearable device may include at least one soft sensor, wherein the hand-wearable device has a shape corresponding to at least a portion of a shape of a hand, and the soft sensor is located at a position corresponding to at least some joints of the hand.

A mechanical resonator device. The resonator device includes a resonator element made of an elastic material under tensile stress and adapted for sustaining at least one oscillation mode; and a clamping structure supporting the resonator element. The clamping structure has a phononic density of states exhibiting a bandgap or quasi-bandgap such that elastic waves of at least one polarisation and/or frequency are not allowed to propagate through the clamping structure. The resonator element and the clamping structure are configured to match with a soft-clamping condition that elastic waves of polarisation and/or frequency corresponding to the at least one oscillation mode of the resonator penetrate evanescently into the clamping structure in a manner such as to minimize bending throughout the entire resonator device. Thereby, bending related loss may be minimized and the Q-factor of the mechanical resonator may be maximized.

A physical quantity sensor includes: a base portion; a first arm portion, a second arm portion, and a third arm portion that are coupled to the base portion and that are provided with fixing portions; a movable portion disposed between the first arm portion and the second arm portion and between the first arm portion and the third arm portion in a plan view; a constricted portion that is disposed between the base portion and the movable portion, and that couples the base portion and the movable portion; and a physical quantity detection element that is disposed across the constricted portion in the plan view and that is attached to the base portion and the movable portion. Thin portions are formed at least at two positions in at least one of the second arm portion and the third arm portion.

A device (10) for monitoring strain of an elongate member (12) is deployed underwater. The device (10) comprises a first clamp (14) configured to embrace and couple to the elongate member (12) at a first axial location, a second clamp (16) configured to embrace and couple to the elongate member at a second axial location separated from the first axial location, and a sensor which is responsive to an angle between the first clamp and the second clamp.

A method and apparatus for analyzing an object using acoustic emissions. Load data is received for the object. Acoustic waveform data is received for the object from an acoustic sensing system. The acoustic waveform data represents acoustic emissions emanating from the object and is detected using the acoustic sensing system. A plurality of bins is created for the load data. A plurality of frequency distribution functions is generated for the plurality of bins using the acoustic waveform data. A set of learning algorithms is applied to the plurality of frequency distribution functions and the acoustic waveform data to generate an output that allows an operator to more easily and quickly assess a structural integrity of the object.

A piezoelectric element device includes: a substrate including a plurality of vibrating portions having a first vibrating portion and a second vibrating portion; a piezoelectric element group in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements having a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element provided in the plurality of vibrating portions are coupled in parallel to each other; a plurality of load detectors having a first load detector including the first vibrating portion and the first piezoelectric element provided in the first vibrating portion and a second load detector including the second vibrating portion and the second piezoelectric element provided in the second vibrating portion; and a resin layer covering the piezoelectric element group. The first load detector resonates at a first resonance frequency, the second load detector resonates at a second resonance frequency, the first resonance frequency and the second resonance frequency are different from each other, the first resonance frequency changes in accordance with a load applied to the first load detectors via the resin layer, the second resonance frequency changes in accordance with a load applied to the second load detectors via the resin layer, and a first resonance frequency change range, which are changeable range of the first resonance frequency, and a second resonance frequency change range, which are changeable range of the second resonance frequency, do not overlap each other.

The present invention relates to a mechanical resonator device. The resonator device comprises a resonator element made of an elastic material under tensile stress and adapted for sustaining at least one oscillation mode; and a clamping structure supporting the resonator element. The clamping structure has a phononic density of states exhibiting a bandgap or quasi-bandgap such that elastic waves of at least one polarisation and/or frequency are not allowed to propagate through the clamping structure. The resonator element and the clamping structure are configured to match with a soft-clamping condition that elastic waves of polarisation and/or frequency corresponding to the at least one oscillation mode of the resonator penetrate evanescently into the clamping structure in a manner such as to minimize bending throughout the entire resonator device. Thereby, bending related loss may be minimized and the Q-factor of the mechanical resonator may be maximized.

An environmental condition may be measured with a sensor (10) including a wire (20) having an ultrasonic signal transmission characteristic that varies in response to the environmental condition by sensing ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using multiple types of propagation, and separating an effect of temperature on the wire from an effect of strain on the wire using the sensed ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using the multiple types of propagation. A positive feedback loop may be used to excite the wire such that strain in the wire is based upon a sensed resonant frequency, while a square wave with a controlled duty cycle may be used to excite the wire at multiple excitation frequencies. A phase matched cone (200, 210) may be used to couple ultrasonic energy between a waveguide wire (202, 212) and a transducer (204, 214).

A force sensor includes a frame and an oscillation structure which has arms and can oscillate freely in the frame. The arms are fixed to suspension frame regions and run transverse to one another at least in sections. At least one conductor extends along at least two arms. An AC voltage can be applied to the at least one conductor to excite at least one oscillation mode of the oscillation structure with a resonant frequency using Lorentz force. The force sensor is designed such that the suspension regions are at least partially spatially displaced relative to one another when a force is applied to the frame, that the magnitude of the spatial displacement of the suspension regions depends on the magnitude of the force, and that the spatial displacement of the suspension regions causes detuning of the resonant frequency, the magnitude of which depends on the spatial displacement magnitude.

A strain sensor includes a flexible substrate and a circuit disposed on the flexible substrate. The circuit includes an inductance to receive an excitation signal, the circuit being configured to generate a radio frequency response to the excitation signal via the inductance. The circuit includes an elongated trace coupled to the inductance and configured to bend and stretch longitudinally upon deformation of the flexible substrate. The elongated trace includes a non-uniformity configured such that the elongated trace deforms and tears at the non-uniformity and exhibits a non-linear increase in resistance as a tensile strain to which the elongated trace is subjected reaches a strain threshold. The non-linear increase in resistance modifies a characteristic of the radio frequency response of the circuit.