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Humans can feel and grasp efficiently in the dark through tactile feedback, whereas it is still a challenging task for robots. In this research, we create a novel soft gripper named JamTac, which has high-resolution tactile perception, a large detection surface, and integrated sensing-grasping capability that can search and grasp in low-visibility environments. The gripper combines granular jamming and visuotactile perception technologies. Using the principle of refractive index matching, a refraction-free liquid-particle rationing scheme is developed, which makes the gripper itself to be an excellent tactile sensor without breaking its original grasping capability. We simultaneously acquire color and depth information inside the gripper, making it possible to sense the shape, texture, hardness, and contact force with high resolution. Experimental results demonstrate that JamTac can be a promising tool to search and grasp in situations when vision is not available.

The aim of this study was to determine the molecular mechanism underlying the inhibition of vascular restenosis by Radix Sophorae Flavescentis (RSF) extract after balloon dilatation injury. In a rat carotid model of balloon dilatation injury, the RSF extract showed a significant inhibitory effect on vascular restenosis. Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the vascular focus was markedly reduced upon treatment with the RSF extract, whereas the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigens (PCNA) was mostly unaffected. Colorimetric assays of methylene blue incorporation demonstrated that the proliferation of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was not inhibited with serum from rats treated with RSF extract. However, the expression of TNF-alpha in cultured VSMCs was significantly downregulated by serum from rats treated with RSF extract. These results suggested that RSF extract has an inhibitory effect on vascular restenosis after balloon dilatation injury which might be, in part, attributable to its inhibition of TNF-alpha expression., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart, New York.)