Design of a compact bistable mechanism based on dielectric elastomer actuators

Follador, Maurizio; Cianchetti, Matteo; Mazzolai, Barbara

doi:10.1007/s11012-015-0212-2

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…A cone DEA is named after its conical geometry, where an elastomer membrane with a rigid circular frame is deformed out of plane by a protrusion force, which is generated by a central biasing element. The output performance of a cone DEA is highly dependent on its biasing mechanisms, such as a bistable mechanism [14][15][16][17], a deadweight [15,[18][19][20][21], a linear compression spring [13], and an antagonistic mechanism [12,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. When a DEA membrane pair is coupled in an antagonistic manner, the biasing force shapes a double conical configuration where the two DEA membranes can be actuated independently to achieve antagonistic actuation (known as a "double-cone DEA").…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear Dynamics of a Magnetically Coupled Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

et al. 2019

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A magnetically coupled dielectric elastomer actuator (MCDEA) is an emerging two-degree-of-freedom DEA system that demonstrates rich dynamic behaviors and promising potential applications in robotics, energy harvesting, and smart structures. However, the three-dimensional geometry, nonlinearity, and viscoelasticity in the system lead to complex nonlinear dynamic behavior that is challenging to predict. In this work, we develop a numerical model that can accurately characterize its dynamic responses. This model, along with experimental results, demonstrates the complex dynamic phenomena of this MCDEA system, including superharmonic, primary-harmonic, and subharmonic resonances, bifurcations, and multiple modes of oscillation. Dynamic control strategies including phase tuning and frequency control are proposed in this work, allowing control of the amplitude and the appearance of a specific resonance and the occurrence of emerging dynamic behaviors, such as beat phenomena. These findings have numerous additional applications in areas including active vibrational control, energy harvesting, and programmable soft motors for on-demand locomotion.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear Dynamics of a Magnetically Coupled Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

et al. 2019

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“…In the field of DE, one of the main goals is to develop highperformance DEAs. Based on the working principle, various configurations of DEAs are designed for extensive applications, such as planar, [58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66] multilayer stacked, [26,27,[67][68][69][70][71] folded, [72,73] rolled, [24,[74][75][76][77][78] diamond, [79][80][81] bending, [82][83][84][85][86] zipping, [87] balloon, [22,23,[88][89][90][91][92][93] cone-shaped, [94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101] hinge, [102...…”

Section: Configurations Of Typical Deasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators and Their Applications in Soft Robots

Guo

Liu

et al. 2021

Advanced Intelligent Systems

148

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Robots play an increasingly important role in industrial production and daily life. Traditional robots are mostly made of hard materials, such as metal and plastic. Although rigidity of the material enables the traditional robot to perform tasks that are difficult for humans, for instance, carrying heavy objects, it also limits its adaptability. In nature, animals and plants are mostly made of soft materials, which make them have very high compliance and realize a variety of unimaginable actions. Similar to natural creatures, soft robots are usually composed of soft stimuli-responsive materials, which make them have good adaptability and compliance, and can achieve large deformation.Triggered by external stimuli, such as electric fields, magnetic fields, heat, and light, these soft stimuli-responsive materials can deform in a specific direction. The soft stimuli-responsive materials commonly used in soft robots include electroactive polymers (EAP), [1][2][3] hydrogels, [4][5][6][7] magnetic materials, [8][9][10] shape memory polymers (SMP), [11][12][13] shape memory alloys (SMA), [14,15] liquid crystal elastomers (LCE), [16][17][18] and so on. In addition, other actuation methods, such as pneumatic inflation and [19] electrostatic, [20,21] are also widely used in soft robots. To have an overview of different actuation methods, their performances with the maximum values are shown in Table 1. Although these maximum values were obtained from different actuators for each actuation method, they still demonstrate the potential upper limit.Dielectric elastomer (DE) is a typical EAP, which can generate significant deformation under the action of an external electric field. Thanks to its characteristics, such as large deformation, [22,23] fast response, [24,25] low elastic modulus, [2] high energy density, [26,27] light weight, [28,29] and low cost, [28] DE has the reputation of artificial muscles and has become one of the most promising materials in soft robots. [30][31][32][33][34] In this Review, we concentrate on the recent progresses of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) and their application in soft robots. In Section 2, we first introduce the working principle of DEAs, followed by the DE materials and compliant electrodes. Then, various DEAs with different designs are introduced. In Section 3, the application of DEAs in soft robots is divided into seven categories. Some recent highlights are described and discussed in detail, especially those with biological inspiration. We summarize some of the challenges in Section 4 and this is followed with the conclusion in Section 5. Dielectric Elastomer Actuators Working PrincipleGenerally, the structure of a DEA is similar to a sandwich, consisting of a DE membrane, where both surfaces are coated with compliant electrodes, as shown in Figure 1a. Once the compliant electrodes are subjected to voltage, an electric field will be generated in the membrane. The induced Maxwell stress causes the membrane to expand its area and contract its thickness. Based on the mechanism of ...

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“…While it is possible that a similar method could be used to actuate bistable mechanisms, such as the use of shape-memory materials [42, 43] or the heating of the bistable flexures to trigger them into their second position, we also investigated more rapid actuation methods. Because a small input displacement can actuate a bistable mechanism from its second stable position to its fabricated position, this is one of the simplest methods of activation.…”

Section: Proposed Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bistable Mechanisms for Space Applications

et al. 2016

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Compliant bistable mechanisms are monolithic devices with two stable equilibrium positions separated by an unstable equilibrium position. They show promise in space applications as nonexplosive release mechanisms in deployment systems, thereby eliminating friction and improving the reliability and precision of those mechanical devices. This paper presents both analytical and numerical models that are used to predict bistable behavior and can be used to create bistable mechanisms in materials not previously feasible for compliant mechanisms. Materials compatible with space applications are evaluated for use as bistable mechanisms and prototypes are fabricated in three different materials. Pin-puller and cutter release mechanisms are proposed as potential space applications.

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Design of a compact bistable mechanism based on dielectric elastomer actuators

Cited by 31 publications

References 15 publications

Nonlinear Dynamics of a Magnetically Coupled Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Nonlinear Dynamics of a Magnetically Coupled Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Review of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators and Their Applications in Soft Robots

Bistable Mechanisms for Space Applications

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