Research, design, produce and test a new design of electro-magnetic joint with controlled stiffness (brake with controlled braking torque) based on a magnetorheological fluid technology.

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This technology could advantageously replace other brake/clutch technologies in many applications thanks to:

> high braking torque/weight and braking torque/volume ratios,

> high controllability: torque accurately controlled by tension control, fast response and wide range of linear behavior

It can moreover be used to build rotary buttons with haptic feedback: force feedback patterns can be programmed and adjusted instantaneously.

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Rather than focusing on building a specific application, the goal of the project was to maximize the torque over volume ratio of the joint for a given volume.

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The product consists of a stack of disks, alternatively fixed to the rotor and stator of the joint, with magnetorheological fluid filling the gaps between them. When subjected to a magnetic field created by a coil, the fluid greatly increases its apparent viscosity, to the point of becoming a viscoelastic solid, completely linking the rotor and stator together.