Patents by Inventor Robert Baines

Robert Baines has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Tensile jamming fibers
    Patent number: 12624478
    Abstract: The present invention relates to fiber jamming systems capable of tuning tensile stiffness of soft systems within seconds without the use of high voltage or temperature changes. The systems employ segmented fibrils of interspersed segments of stretchable and non-stretchable materials. Applying a vacuum to the fibrils in an enclosed volume elicits a large interfacial shear resistance to tensile displacement. In the absence of a vacuum, the fibrils are free to stretch and bend in any direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2026
    Assignee: Yale University
    Inventors: Bilige Yang, Robert Baines, Xiaonan Huang, Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, Dylan Shah
  • TENSILE JAMMING FIBERS
    Publication number: 20240392478
    Abstract: The present invention relates to fiber jamming systems capable of tuning tensile stiffness of soft systems within seconds without the use of high voltage or temperature changes. The systems employ segmented fibrils of interspersed segments of stretchable and non-stretchable materials. Applying a vacuum to the fibrils in an enclosed volume elicits a large interfacial shear resistance to tensile displacement. In the absence of a vacuum, the fibrils are free to stretch and bend in any direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Inventors: Bilige Yang, Robert Baines, Xiaonan Huang, Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, Dylan Shah