Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 62

Facility Focus
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A new mechanism harvests stray magnetic fields and converts the energy into enough electricity to
power next-generation sensor networks for smart buildings and factories. (Image: Kai Wang)
Plagues of locusts containing millions
of insects fly across the sky but the individual
insects do not collide with each
other within these massive swarms. Penn
engineers created a low-power collision
detector that mimics the locust avoidance
response and could help robots,
drones, and even self-driving cars avoid
collisions. Locusts move at two to three
miles per hour and make directional
changes in hundreds of milliseconds.
This quick reaction and modest energy
use are attractive for mechanized collision
detectors. The researchers' collision
detector responds in two seconds.
Repeated activity wears on soft robotic
actuators but these machines' moving
parts need to be reliable and easily fixed.
Researchers developed a biosynthetic
polymer, patterned after squid ring
teeth, that is self-healing and biodegradable,
creating a material not only good
for actuators but also for hazmat suits
and other applications where tiny holes
could cause a danger. The high-strength
synthetic proteins mimic those found in
nature and like the creatures they are
patterned on, the proteins can self-heal
both minute and visible damage. The
self-healing polymer heals with the application
of water and heat, although it
could also heal using light.
Technology Transfer
The Office of Industrial Partnerships
(OIP) fosters strategic relationships with
industry partners and supports Penn
State's entrepreneurial ecosystem, accelerating
the pace at which technologies
move from discovery to implementation.
Contact the OIP at corporations@
psu.edu; 814-867-6328 or visit www.
research.psu.edu/OIP.
The Intellectual Property Navigator is
a searchable showcase of Penn State's
A lithium-ion battery that is safe, has high
power, and can last for 1 million miles was
developed by Penn Engineering. (Image:
Jennifer McCann/Penn State)
62
Cov
top emerging technologies available for
licensing. Get started at https://invent.
psu.edu/tools/intellectual-propertynavigator/.
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Tech Briefs, September 2021
http://www.techbriefs.com http://www.techbriefs.com/insider http://www.research.psu.edu/OIP http://www.research.psu.edu/OIP https://invent.psu.edu/tools/intellectual-property-navigator http://www.techbriefs.com http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?202109TBNAV
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021

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