A Cambridge University invention which was kept a closely-guarded secret because of the hidden advantage it offered to a Formula 1 racing team is now available for widespread use.

For years, a vehicle suspension system device known as J-Damper, was carefully codenamed and concealed to prevent it from being copied by rivals.

McLaren agreed an exclusive right with the University to exploit the technology, but confidentiality restrictions ensured that other F1 teams were kept in the dark. Now, the confidentiality agreement has been lifted, the secret of the J-Damper can be revealed.

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Tiny grippers capable of grabbing and moving microscale objects have been developed by researchers from Johns Hopkins University.

David Gracias, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Johns Hopkins University, and his team based the tetherless grippers on human hands, which have rigid phalanges and flexible joints. The grippers’ trilayer structure consists of a film made of chromium and copper layer topped with a polymer.

The Johns Hopkins University grippers exploit benign cues such as temperature of biomolecules to trigger gripping and release motions.

Gracias explained: “The film is like a stretched rubber band, when you release it; it immediately tries to curl up.”

The polymer controls whether the film curls up. If the polymer is stiff, the gripper stays open. When the polymer is softened by temperature or chemical triggers, the gripper closes around its target. The grippers release again when another chemical is applied.

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