Traditional sound sources and sound detectors are usually independent and discrete in the human hearing range. To minimize the device size and integrate it with wearable electronics, there is an urgent requirement of realizing the functional integration of generating and detecting sound in a single device. Here we show an intelligent laser-induced graphene artificial throat, which can not only generate sound but also detect sound in a single device. More importantly, the intelligent artificial throat will significantly assist for the disabled, because the simple throat vibrations such as hum, cough and scream with different intensity or frequency from a mute person can be detected and converted into controllable sounds. Furthermore, the laser-induced graphene artificial throat has the advantage of one-step fabrication, high efficiency, excellent flexibility and low cost, and it will open practical applications in voice control, wearable electronics and many other areas.

In this paper, we describe an automated microfluidic flow loop analyzer toward an in-situ phosphate measurement in natural waters. The system consists of a microfluidic chip and a setup for driving and detecting which form a microfluidic flow loop analyzer with one peristaltic micropump, seven microvalves, three inlets, one outlet and a loop channel which connects them together. The loop channel functions as a mixer, and the mixing process can be monitored continuously. Three reagents can be injected into the water sample at any time. The reagent consumption is 6 μL per sample for one measurement of the phosphate concentration, which would increase the in-situ usage time greatly because of the limited reagents. The analyzer is small, and its power consumption is low (343 mW), which increase the potential of the analyzer for monitoring phosphate in situ. The analyzer has been calibrated, and its performance has been quantified. Because of the continuous monitoring function of the microflow loop, we increase sample throughput to 10 samples per hour. The phosphate concentrations of the water samples have been measured using both normal method and rapid method we proposed. The results show there are no significant differences between our analyzer and reference procedures.

In this paper, low-voltage, large-strain flexible electrothermal actuators (ETAs) based on laser-reduced graphene oxide (LRGO)/Ag particle composites were fabricated in a simple and cost-efficient process. By adding Ag particles to the LRGO, the sheet resistance decreased effectively. Under a driving voltage of 28 V, the actuator obtained a bending angle of 192° within 6 s. Besides, the bending deformation could be precisely controlled by the driving voltage ranging from 10° to 192°. Finally, a gripper composed of two actuators was demonstrated to manipulate a piece of polydimethylsiloxane block. With the advantages of low-voltage, fast-response, and easy-to-manufacture, the graphene based ETAs have a promising application in soft robotics and soft machines.