A Foldable Antagonistic Actuator

Shintake, Jun; Rosset, Samuel; Schubert, Bryan Edward; Floreano, Dario; Shea, Herbert

doi:10.1109/tmech.2014.2359337

Cited by 60 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(49 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Given the power consumption of the converters and the DEAs, such untethered robots may be able to swim for a few hours with a 2 cell LiPo battery of 240 mAh. As reference point, a remotely controlled untethered airplane using DEAs for the active control surfaces can be seen in [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomimetic underwater robots based on dielectric elastomer actuators

Shintake

Shea

Floreano

2016

2016 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract-Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), a soft actuator technology, hold great promise for biomimetic underwater robots. The high-voltages required to drive DEAs can however make them challenging to use in water. This paper demonstrates a method to create DEA-based biomimetic swimming robots that operate reliably even in conductive liquids. We ensure the insulation of the high-voltage DEA electrodes without degrading actuation performance by laminating silicone layers. A fish and a jellyfish were fabricated and tested in water. The fish robot has a length of 120 mm and a mass of 3.8 g. The jellyfish robot has a 61 mm diameter for a mass of 2.6 g. The measured swimming speeds for a periodic 3 kV drive voltage were ∼8 mm/s for the fish robot, and ∼1.5 mm/s for the jellyfish robot.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomimetic underwater robots based on dielectric elastomer actuators

Shintake

Shea

Floreano

2016

2016 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are alternatives, including electroactive materials such as piezoelectric actuators 14 or ultrasonic motors 15 , however, these are most appropriate for the smaller end of the size spectrum. Control actuators have more options at most scales, including voice coils, shape memory alloys 16 and electroactive polymers 17 .…”

Section: Actuation Power and Manufacturingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones

Floreano

Wood

2015

Nature

Self Cite

1,047

552

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Drones, a popular nickname for unmanned aerial vehicles and micro aerial vehicles, often conjure up images of unmanned aeroplanes that fly thousands of miles for espionage and to deploy munitions. However, over the past few years, an increasing number of public and private research laboratories have been working on small, human-friendly drones that one day may autonomously fly in confined spaces and in close proximity to people. The development of these small drones, which is the main focus of this Review, has been supported by the miniaturization and cost reduction of electronic components (microprocessors, sensors, batteries and wireless communication units), largely driven by the portable electronic device industry. These improvements have enabled the prototyping and commercialization of small (typically less than 1 kg) drones at smartphone prices.Small drones will have important socio-economic impacts (Fig. 1). Images from drones that are capable of flying a few metres above the ground will fill a gap between expensive, weather-dependent and lowresolution images provided by satellites and car-based images limited to human-level perspectives and the availability of accessible roads. Specialized flying cameras and cloud-based data analytics will allow farmers to continuously monitor the quality of crop growth. Such platforms will enable construction companies to measure work progress in real time. Drones will let mining companies obtain precise volumetric data of excavations. Energy and infrastructure companies will be able to exhaustively survey pipelines, roads and cables. Humanitarian organizations could immediately assess and adapt aid efforts in continuously changing refugee camps. Transportation drones that are capable of safely taking off and landing in the proximity of buildings and humans will allow developing countries -without a suitable road network -to rapidly deliver goods and to finally unleash the full potential of their e-commerce telecommunication infrastructure. Transportation drones will also help developed countries to improve the quality of service in congested or remote areas, and will enable rescue organizations to quickly deliver medical supplies in the field and on demand. Inspection drones that are capable of flying in confined spaces will help fire-fighting and emergency units to assess dangers faster and more safely, logistic companies to detect cracks in the inner and outer shells of ships, road maintenance companies to measure signs of wear and tear in bridges and tunnels, security companies to improve building safety by monitoring areas outside the range of surveillance cameras, and disaster mitigation agencies to inspect partially collapsed buildings where ground clutter is an obstacle for terrestrial robots. Coordinated teams of autonomous drones will enable missions that last longer than the flight time of a single drone by allowing some drones to temporarily leave the team for battery replacement. Drone teams will permit rescue organizations to quickly deploy dedicated commu...

show abstract

“…On the other hand, DEAs usually generate low forces, and a high voltage (a few kV) is necessary for the actuation. DEAs have been applied for robotic applications including legged robots [19], [20], a multi-segmented snake-like robot [21], grippers [22], [23], an airship propelled by fish-like movement [24], and a micro air vehicle [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable stiffness actuator for soft robotics using dielectric elastomer and low-melting-point alloy

Shintake

Schubert

Rosset

et al. 2015

2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

Self Cite

195

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract-A novel variable stiffness actuator composed of a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) and a low-melting-pointalloy (LMPA) embedded silicone substrate is demonstrated. The device which we call variable stiffness dielectric elastomer actuator (VSDEA) enables functional soft robots with a simplified structure, where the DEA generates a bending actuation and the LMPA provides controllable stiffness between soft and rigid states by Joule heating. The entire structure of VSDEA is made of soft silicones with an elastic modulus of less than 1 MPa providing a high compliance when the LMPA is active. The device has the dimension of 40 mm length × 10 mm width × 1 mm thickness, with mass of ∼1 g. We characterize VSDEA in terms of the actuation stroke angle, the blocked force, and the reaction force against a forced displacement. The results show the controllable actuation angle and the blocked force up to 23.7• and 2.4 mN in the soft state, and 0.6• and 2.1 mN in the rigid state. Compared to an actuator without the LMPA, VSDEA exhibits ∼90× higher rigidity. We develop a VSDEA gripper where the mass of active parts is ∼2 g, which is able to successfully hold an object mass of 11 g, exhibiting the high performance of the actuator.

show abstract

A Foldable Antagonistic Actuator

Cited by 60 publications

References 45 publications

Biomimetic underwater robots based on dielectric elastomer actuators

Biomimetic underwater robots based on dielectric elastomer actuators

Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones

Variable stiffness actuator for soft robotics using dielectric elastomer and low-melting-point alloy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About