In the current era, energy resources from the environment via piezoelectric materials are not only used for self-powered electronic devices, but also play a significant role in creating a pleasant living environment. Piezoelectric materials have the potential to produce energy from micro to milliwatts of power depending on the ambient conditions. The energy obtained from these materials is used for powering small electronic devices such as sensors, health monitoring devices, and various smart electronic gadgets like watches, personal computers, and cameras. These reviews explain the comprehensive concepts related to piezoelectric (classical and non-classical) materials, energy harvesting from the mechanical vibration of piezoelectric materials, structural modelling, and their optimization. Non-conventional smart materials, such as polyceramics, polymers, or composite piezoelectric materials, stand out due to their slender actuator and sensor profiles, offering superior performance, flexibility, and reliability at competitive costs despite their susceptibility to performance fluctuations caused by temperature variations. Accurate modeling and performance optimization, employing analytical, numerical, and experimental methodologies are imperative. This review also furthers research and development in optimizing piezoelectric energy utilization, suggesting the need for continued experimentation to select optimal materials and structures for various energy applications.

The paper discusses issues concerning the accuracy and repeatability tests of the positioning of the Kuka KR 16-2 industrial robot. The results of laboratory tests of an industrial robot, as well as a comparison of robot motion paths in the Robcad environment with the real robot motion paths are presented. In order to register movement paths in the laboratory conditions, the laser tracker Faro Vantage was used. Frequent necessity to correct programs of industrial robots created in the offline environment, is a results, among others, from the insufficient experience of people who carry out programming, the environment in which robots work and the parameters of the robots themselves, and therefore their accuracy and repeatability. It is connected with the extension of the start-up time and high costs. The work describes the measurement method and attempts to determine the influence of the type of route and motion parameters on the accuracy and repeatability of robot. The accuracy of mapping of simulated robot motion in a virtual environment was also verified.

This work presents a proposal of modelling and investigation of advanced piezo composite MFC actuator application in one-dimensional flexural vibrating systems. The presented method of analysis of the considered system is based on the discrete-continuous mathematical model and the approximate Galerkin method. Characteristic YV that describes relation between the beam's deflection and applied voltage was calculated. The next step of the work was the analysis of influence of the piezoelectric macro fibre composite's properties on the obtained characteristic of the system. The main aim of this work is to propose a mathematical algorithm of the process of modelling and analysis of systems under consideration that can be very useful in designing process. Obtained results can be used to optimise designed systems for example by selecting geometrical and material parameters of the systems elements including the glue layer between the transducer and mechanical subsystem.

In the article, two methods for testing of composite materials reinforced by sheet metal were presented. The first method is based on computer simulation of stresses in the investigated objects. It was carried out in the graphical programme NX. The second method consists in measuring deformations using strain gauge bridges and comparative analysis was carried out. The obtained results show that both methods were applied correctly and the error reaches a few percent.

In the paper results of computer-aided strength analysis of the modernized freight wagon based on Finite Element Method are presented. CAD model of the considered freight wagon was created and its strength was analysed in agreement with norms described the way of such kind of freight wagons testing. Then, the model of the analysed freight wagon was modernized by adding composite panels covering the inner surface of the vehicle body. Strength analysis was carried out once again and obtained results were juxtaposed. This work was carried out in order to verify the influence of composite panels on the strength of the freight car body and to estimate the possibility of reducing the steel shell thickness of the box in order to reduce weight of the freight wagon.