A flexi-limbed electroactive frame for gripping and locomotion: structural optimization
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Published version
Author(s)
Sun, Wenjie
Xu, Yuejun
Taghavi, Majid
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Electrostatic soft actuators are widely employed in soft machines due to their fast response, low energy consumption and noise, high energy density, and ease of control. This paper presents an electrostatic flexi-limbed actuation building block based on the dielectrophoretic liquid zipping concept. We establish a model to describe its performance using the theory of large deformation of beams and the energy analysis method. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed mathematical model were validated through experiments. Using this model, we investigated the influence of various design parameters on the actuator's static actuation performance. Additionally, we experimentally analyzed the actuator's output force under static voltage and its dynamic behavior under alternating excitation. Furthermore, we evaluated the actuator's locomotion performance in a soft inchworm-like robot by integrating it with a unidirectional wheel assembly. This research provides exploratory experience and new ideas for the design and application of further electro-ribbon actuators.
Date Issued
2025-01-15
Date Acceptance
2024-11-27
Citation
International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 2025, 286
ISSN
0020-7403
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
International Journal of Mechanical Sciences
Volume
286
Copyright Statement
© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2024.109862
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
109862
Date Publish Online
2024-11-28