Q:

Are there any attempts to directly detect dark energy?

Instead of relying on distant supernovas for tell tale sign that most galaxies are receding at faster rates away from each other, are there any experiments in the past decades or near future that can allow scientists to detect dark energy directly? 

A:

Here is an experiment trying to limit dark energy  theories which predict detectable interactions with matter:

If dark energy --- which drives the accelerated expansion of the universe --- consists of a light scalar field, it might be detectable as a "fifth force" between normal-matter objects, in potential conflict with precision tests of gravity. Chameleon fields and other theories with screening mechanisms, however, can evade these tests by suppressing the forces in regions of high density, such as the laboratory. Using a cesium matter-wave interferometer near a spherical mass in an ultra-high vacuum chamber, we reduce the screening mechanism by probing the field with individual atoms rather than bulk matter. Thus, we constrain a wide class of dark energy theories, including a range of chameleon and other theories that reproduce the observed cosmic acceleration. 

