Hydrostatically Coupled Dielectric Elastomer Actuators: New Opportunities for Haptics

2011 ◽  
Vol 1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Carpi ◽  
Gabriele Frediani ◽  
Danilo De Rossi
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Relative Displacement ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Tactile Feedback ◽  
Haptic Interfaces ◽  
Silicone Grease ◽  
Performance Technology ◽  
Hydrostatic Transmission ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

ABSTRACTDielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have been demonstrated to represent today a high-performance technology for electromechanical transducers based on electroactive polymers. As a means to improve versatility and safety of DEAs for several fields of application, so-called ‘hydrostatically coupled’ DEAs (HC-DEAs) have recently been described. HC-DEAs are based on an incompressible fluid that mechanically couples a DE-based active part to a passive part interfaced to the load, so as to enable hydrostatic transmission. This paper presents ongoing developments of bubble-like HC-DEAs and their promising potential application in the field of haptics. In particular, the first part of the paper describes a static and dynamic characterization of a prototype actuator made of two pre-stretched membranes (20 mm wide, 1.8 mm high, and 60 μm thick) of 3M VHB acrylic elastomer, coupled via silicone grease. The actuator exhibited a maximum stress of 1.3 kPa at 4.4 kV, a relative displacement of -80% at 4.4 kV, a -3dB bandwidth of 3 Hz, and a resonance frequency of 160 Hz. The second part of the paper presents possible applications of the tested actuator configuration for haptic interfaces. Two specific examples are considered. The first deals with a wearable tactile/haptic display used to provide users with tactile feedback during electronic navigation in virtual environments. The display consists of HC-DEAs arranged in contact with finger tips. As a second example of usage, an up-scaled prototype version of an 8-dots refreshable cell for dynamic Braille displays is shown. Each Braille pin consists of a miniature HC-DEA, with a diameter lower than 2 mm. Both types of applications clearly show the potential of the new technology and the prospective opportunities for haptics.

Characterization of slide ring materials for dielectric elastomer actuators

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Shintake ◽  
Koya Matsuno ◽  
Kazumasa Baba ◽  
Hiromitsu Takeuchi
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fields ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Dielectric Strength ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Elongation At Break ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer Actuators ◽  
Elastomeric Materials ◽  
Mechanical Performances

Abstract This paper investigates the characteristics of sliding ring materials (SRMs), which are promising elastomeric materials for dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). Two different types of SRMs with Young's modulus of 0.8 MPa and 3.3 MPa, respectively, are prepared, and their material and mechanical properties and electro-mechanical performances at electric fields of up to 30 V/um are characterized. For comparison, the same tests are also performed on several commercially available elastomers: Elastosil 2030, Ecoflex 00-30, CF19-2186, and VHB 4905. The results reveal that SRMs demonstrate negligible Mullins effect and hysteresis, while their dielectric strength (62.4‒112.4 V/µm) and viscoelasticity (tan⁡δ 0.07‒0.24 at 10 Hz) are comparable or even superior to those of other elastomers. In addition, elongation at break is found to be 163.8‒172.1%. SRMs exhibit excellent electro-mechanical performance; for instance, one of the two types has an actuation force 293.2 mN at 24.9 V/µm and a strain of 5.2% at 22.3 V/µm. These values are the largest or larger than most of the tested elastomers. The high performance of SRMs results from their dielectric constant, which ranges from 10.3‒13.4, leading to an electro-mechanical sensitivity of up to 15.3 MPa-1. These results illustrate SRMs as attractive material options for DEAs.

Effective technology and equipment for electroerosive precision firmware micro

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Анатолий Бойко ◽  
Anatoliy Boyko
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Industrial Application ◽  
High Performance ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Performance Technology ◽  
Optimization Of Parameters ◽  
Effective Technology ◽  
Micro Holes ◽  
Element Base

The monograph presents the results of research and development of high-performance technology and equipment for electroerosion piercing of precision micro-holes. The analysis of world technologies of obtaining micro holes is given, the results of development of new effective element base of process and equipment are presented, methods of optimization of parameters of process of electroerosive firmware of micro holes are offered. The results of industrial application of new technology and equipment are presented.

scholarly journals Characterization and Optimization of Elastomeric Electrodes for Dielectric Elastomer Artificial Muscles

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 5542
Author(s):  
Guangqiang Ma ◽  
Xiaojun Wu ◽  
Lijin Chen ◽  
Xin Tong ◽  
Weiwei Zhao
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Elastomeric Matrix ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer Actuators ◽  
Lower Elongation ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Long Term Performance ◽  
Term Performance ◽  
Conductive Particles ◽  
Compliant Electrodes

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are an emerging type of soft actuation technology. As a fundamental unit of a DEA, the characteristics of compliant electrodes play a crucial role in the actuation performances of DEAs. Generally, the compliant electrodes can be categorized into uncured and cured types, of which the cured one commonly involves mixing conductive particles into an elastomeric matrix before curing, thus demonstrating a better long-term performance. Along with the increasing proportion of conductive particles, the electrical conductivity increases at the cost of a stiffer electrode and lower elongation at break ratio. For different DEA applications, it can be more desirable to minimize the electrode stiffness or to maximize its conductivity. In examination of the papers published in recent years, few works have characterized the effects of elastomeric electrodes on the outputs of DEAs, or of their optimizations under different application scenarios. In this work, we propose an experimental framework to characterize the performances of elastomeric electrodes with different formulas based on the two key parameters of stiffness and conductivity. An optimizing method is developed and verified by two different application cases (e.g., quasi-static and dynamic). The findings and the methods developed in this work can offer potential approaches for developing high-performance DEAs.

scholarly journals Soft, tough, and fast polyacrylate dielectric elastomer for non-magnetic motor

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Juan Yin ◽  
Yu Zhao ◽  
Jing Zhu ◽  
Minhao Yang ◽  
Huichan Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Crosslinking Agent ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Dielectric Elastomers ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer Actuators ◽  
Response Bandwidth ◽  
Electrically Actuated ◽  
Soft Actuators

AbstractDielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) with large electrically-actuated strain can build light-weight and flexible non-magnetic motors. However, dielectric elastomers commonly used in the field of soft actuation suffer from high stiffness, low strength, and high driving field, severely limiting the DEA’s actuating performance. Here we design a new polyacrylate dielectric elastomer with optimized crosslinking network by rationally employing the difunctional macromolecular crosslinking agent. The proposed elastomer simultaneously possesses desirable modulus (~0.073 MPa), high toughness (elongation ~2400%), low mechanical loss (tan δm = 0.21@1 Hz, 20 °C), and satisfactory dielectric properties ($${\varepsilon }_{{{{{{\rm{r}}}}}}}$$ ε r  = 5.75, tan δe = 0.0019 @1 kHz), and accordingly, large actuation strain (118% @ 70 MV m−1), high energy density (0.24 MJ m−3 @ 70 MV m−1), and rapid response (bandwidth above 100 Hz). Compared with VHBTM 4910, the non-magnetic motor made of our elastomer presents 15 times higher rotation speed. These findings offer a strategy to fabricate high-performance dielectric elastomers for soft actuators.

Soft Freestanding Planar Artificial Muscle Based on Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Qin ◽  
Jiawei Cao ◽  
Yucheng Tang ◽  
Jian Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Artificial Muscle ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Tactile Feedback ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Artificial Muscles ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer Actuators ◽  
Electromechanical Instability ◽  
Compression Springs

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) exhibit interesting muscle-like attributes including large voltage-induced deformation and high energy density, thus can function as artificial muscles for soft robots/devices. This paper focuses on soft planar DEAs, which have extensive applications such as artificial muscles for jaw movement, stretchers for cell mechanotransduction, and vibration shakers for tactile feedback, etc. Specifically, we develop a soft planar DEA, in which compression springs are employed to make the entire structure freestanding. This soft freestanding actuator can achieve both linear actuation and turning without increasing the size, weight, or structural complexity, which makes the actuator suitable for driving a soft crawling robot. Furthermore, its simple structure and homogeneous deformation allow for analytic modeling, which can be used to interpret the large voltage-induced deformation and interesting mechanics phenomenon (i.e., wrinkling and electromechanical instability). A preliminary demonstration showcases that this soft planar actuator can be employed as an artificial muscle to drive a soft crawling robot.

Silicone dielectric elastomers optimized by crosslinking pattern – a simple approach to high-performance actuators

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 3271-3284
Author(s):  
Codrin Tugui ◽  
George T. Stiubianu ◽  
Manole S. Serbulea ◽  
Maria Cazacu
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Simple Approach ◽  
Dielectric Elastomers ◽  
Silicone Elastomers ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer Actuators ◽  
Chemical Design

Chemical design of silicone elastomers for improving the electromechanical response of dielectric elastomer actuators.

The Recent Revolution in High Performance Computing

MRS Bulletin ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5-6
Author(s):  
Horst D. Simon
Keyword(s):  
High Performance Computing ◽  
High Performance ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Parallel Architecture ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Good News ◽  
Computing Industry ◽  
Time And Energy ◽  
Performance Computing

Recent events in the high-performance computing industry have concerned scientists and the general public regarding a crisis or a lack of leadership in the field. That concern is understandable considering the industry's history from 1993 to 1996. Cray Research, the historic leader in supercomputing technology, was unable to survive financially as an independent company and was acquired by Silicon Graphics. Two ambitious new companies that introduced new technologies in the late 1980s and early 1990s—Thinking Machines and Kendall Square Research—were commercial failures and went out of business. And Intel, which introduced its Paragon supercomputer in 1994, discontinued production only two years later.During the same time frame, scientists who had finished the laborious task of writing scientific codes to run on vector parallel supercomputers learned that those codes would have to be rewritten if they were to run on the next-generation, highly parallel architecture. Scientists who are not yet involved in high-performance computing are understandably hesitant about committing their time and energy to such an apparently unstable enterprise.However, beneath the commercial chaos of the last several years, a technological revolution has been occurring. The good news is that the revolution is over, leading to five to ten years of predictable stability, steady improvements in system performance, and increased productivity for scientific applications. It is time for scientists who were sitting on the fence to jump in and reap the benefits of the new technology.

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