Submersible robotics have improved in efficiency and versatility by incorporating features found in aquatic life, ranging from thunniform kinematics to shark skin textures. To fully realize these benefits, sensor systems must be incorporated to aid in object detection and navigation through complex flows. Again, inspiration can be taken from biology, drawing on the lateral line sensor systems and neuromast structures found on fish. To maintain a truly soft-bodied robot, a man-made flow sensor must be developed that is entirely complaint, introducing no rigidity to the artificial “skin.” We present a capacitive cupula inspired by superficial neuromasts. Fabricated via lost wax methods and vacuum injection, our 5 mm tall device exhibits a sensitivity of 0.5 pF/mm (capacitance versus tip deflection) and consists of room temperature liquid metal plates embedded in a soft silicone body. In contrast to existing capacitive examples, our sensor incorporates the transducers into the cupula itself rather than at its base. We present a kinematic theory and energy-based approach to approximate capacitance versus flow, resulting in equations that are verified with a combination of experiments and COMSOL simulations.

Bubble bursting is a primary source of marine aerosols, yet little is known about particle emissions due to the bubble bursting in slicks containing oil‐dispersant mixtures. In this study, bubbles with mode sizes of 86 μm (denoted as small), 178 μm (medium), and 595 μm (large) are injected into a seawater column covered by slicks of crude oil, pure dispersant, and dispersant premixed with oil at a ratio of 1:25. The aerosol size distributions are monitored in the 0.5‐ to 20‐μm and 10‐ to 380‐nm ranges both in clean and ambient air environments. In ambient air, a tenfold increase in submicron particle concentration occurs when large bubbles burst on slicks of 500‐μm dispersant premixed with oil at a ratio of 1:25 oil or 50‐μm pure dispersant. Yet, in multiple tests performed at different ambient particle concentrations, the elevated size distributions persistently maintain the same shape as that of the ambient air. In contrast, smaller bubbles and tests not involving dispersants do not cause such an increase. Nanodroplets are also generated by large bubbles in particle‐free air, but their concentrations are much lower. All plumes generate micron‐sized aerosols, but trends vary. For the same contaminant, the microdroplet concentration decreases with increasing slick thickness. Particularly striking is a reduction of 2 orders of magnitude in the microdroplet concentration when medium and small bubbles burst on 500‐μm crude oil slicks. Chemical analysis of air and particulates collected from filters sampling the particles confirms the presence of airborne oil above the slicks.

This study investigates the effects of premixing oil with chemical dispersant at varying concentrations on the flow structure and droplet dynamics within a crude oil jet transitioning into a plume in a crossflow. It is motivated by the need to determine the fate of subsurface oil after a well blowout. The laboratory experiments consist of flow visualizations, in situ measurements of the time evolution of droplet‐size distributions using holography, and particle image velocimetry to characterize dominant flow features. Increasing the dispersant concentration dramatically decreases the droplet sizes and increases their number, and accordingly, reduces the rise rates of droplets and the upper boundary of the plume. The flow within the plume consists primarily of a pair of counterrotating quasi‐streamwise vortices (CVP) that characterize jets in crossflows. It also involves generation of vertical wake vortices that entrain small droplets under the plume. The evolution of plume boundaries is dominated by interactions of droplets with the CVP. The combined effects of vortex‐induced velocity and significant quiescent rise velocity of large (∼5 mm) droplets closely agree with the rise rate of the upper boundary of the crude oil plume. Conversely, the much lower rise velocity of the smaller droplets in oil‐dispersant mixtures results in plume boundaries rising at rates that are very similar to those of the CVP center. The size of droplets trapped by the CVP is predicted correctly using a trapping function, which is based on a balance of forces on a droplet located within a horizontal eddy.

In the functional 3D-printing field, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) has been shown to be a more promising choice of material over polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), due to its ability to be poled to a high level of piezoelectric performance without a large mechanical strain ratio. In this work, a novel presentation of in situ 3D printing and poling of PVDF-TrFE is shown with a d${}_{33}$ performance of up to 18 pC N${}^{-1}$, more than an order of magnitude larger than previously reported in situ poled polymer piezoelectrics. This finding paves the way forward for pressure sensors with much higher sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, the ability of in situ pole sensors to demonstrate different performance levels is shown in a fully 3D-printed five-element sensor array, accelerating and increasing the design space for complex sensing arrays. The in situ poled sample performance was compared to the performance of samples prepared through an ex situ corona poling process.

We show how phasing between tandem bioinspired fins flapping at high-stroke amplitudes modulates rear fin thrust production and wake characteristics. Load cell thrust measurements show that the rear fin generates 25% more thrust than the front fin when it lags the latter by a quarter cycle, and performs 8% worse when it leads the front fin by the same amount. The flow interactions between the fins responsible for these observations are analyzed using two-dimensional particle image velocimetry measurements and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations. Distributions of velocity elucidate variations in the effective flow induced on the rear fin for different phase offsets. Vortex structure interactions and particle rakes reveal the contributions of the leading- and trailing-edge vortices shed by the front fin in modulating the suction at the rear fin leading edge. Furthermore, the wake structure far downstream of the fins changes in its coherence, axial and radial extents for the different phase offsets. These findings are relevant for the design and performance optimization of various unmanned underwater vehicles that utilize such tandem systems.

Contrast ultrasound is a widely used clinical tool to obtain real-time qualitative blood flow assessments in the heart, liver, etc. Echocardiographic particle image velocimetry (echo-PIV) is a technique for obtaining quantitative velocity maps from contrast ultrasound images. However, unlike optical particle image velocimetry (PIV), routine echo images are prone to nonuniform spatiotemporal variations in tracer distribution, making analysis difficult for standard PIV algorithms. This study introduces optimized procedures that integrate image enhancement, PIV, and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) to obtain reliable time-resolved two-dimensional (2D) velocity distributions. During initial PIV analysis, multiple results are obtained by varying processing parameters. Optimization involving outlier removal and smoothing is used to select the correct vector. These results are used in a multiparameter PTV procedure. To demonstrate their clinical value, the procedures are implemented to obtain velocity and vorticity distributions over multiple cardiac cycles using images acquired from four left ventricular thrombus (LVT) patients. Phase-averaged data elucidate flow structure evolution over the cycle and are used to calculate penetration depth and strength of left ventricular (LV) vortices, as well as apical velocity induced by them. The present data are consistent with previous time-averaged results for the minimum vortex penetration depth associated with LVT occurrence. However, due to decay and fragmentation of LV vortices, as they migrate away from the mitral annulus, in two cases with high penetration, there is still poor washing near the resolved clot throughout the cycle. Hence, direct examination of entire flow evolution may be useful for assessing risk of LVT relapse before prescribing anticoagulants.