HomeEducationDoctorate (PhD & EngD)Two UT scientists receive a Vidi grant

Two UT scientists receive a Vidi grant

UT researchers, Dannis Brouwer and Floris Zwanenburg, are receiving a Vidi grant of 800,000 Euros from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Brouwer is going to use his grant for research on flexible mechanisms that can make a much larger stroke (rotation angle) than existing elastic hinges. Brouwer sees applications in both ultra-precision machines as well as professionally printed robot hands, orthoses and flexible implants. Zwanenburg is going  to manufacture electronic circuits with a single atom in the heart of the circuit. 

Elastic hinges: a big step forward

With his research, Dannis Brouwer is going to settle the score with the time-honoured limitation of the short stroke of elastic hinges. Thus, the path is open for almost frictionless, backlash-free, super lightweight and maintenance-free hinge elements with a long stroke.
" An elastic hinge traditionally combines the features important for precision, such as no friction, no backlash and no hysteresis," Brewer explains. "As a result, it moves smoothly and predictably. If you wanted to retain some support, the stroke of such a hinge was limited to around 10 degrees. " Brouwer has demonstrated an improvement of up to 40 degrees, but more is possible. "The goal is now to develop a generic method to synthesize elastic hinges to strokes of 90 to 120 degrees."        

Building blocks for the quantum computer

Floris Zwanenburg is using the grant to manufacture electronic circuits with a single atom in the heart of the circuit. These are ideal for studying atomic properties, such as the ionization energy and the nuclear spin. In the long term, these one-atom transistors can be used as building blocks for a quantum computer. 

More information

Dannis Brouwer is an associate professor in the group Mechanical Automation and Mechatronics at the Faculty of Engineering Technology (CTW) of the UT. His research falls within the field of classical mechanical engineering, while VIDI grants for the University of Twente are usually won by the institutes, MIRA and MESA+. He is a lecturer in the degree course of the same name; Mechanical Engineering.
Floris Zwanenburg is a researcher in the group Nanoelectronics (EWI faculty, research institute MESA +).

Vidi

In this round, the NWO awarded 87 experienced researchers a Vidi grant of up to 800,000 Euros. With this, they can develop their own innovative line of research and establish their own research group. Veni, together with Vidi and Vici, is part of the Innovative Impulse of the NWO.

More information about the Vidi grants.