Printing 3D dielectric elastomer actuators for soft robotics

Rossiter, Jonathan; Walters, Peter; Stoimenov, Boyko

doi:10.1117/12.815746

Cited by 93 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…That will build upon research already underway in DE fabrication through printing, 51,126 and stacking of actuator membranes. [56][57][58]127 But it also requires significant improvements in process repeatability in order to produce multifunctional networks and systems.…”

Section: Multi-functional Smart Muscle Systems With Fully Integratmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-functional dielectric elastomer artificial muscles for soft and smart machines

Anderson

Gisby²,

McKay³

et al. 2012

Journal of Applied Physics

560

314

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Dielectric elastomer (DE) actuators are popularly referred to as artificial muscles because their impressive actuation strain and speed, low density, compliant nature, and silent operation capture many of the desirable physical properties of muscle. Unlike conventional robots and machines, whose mechanisms and drive systems rapidly become very complex as the number of degrees of freedom increases, groups of DE artificial muscles have the potential to generate rich motions combining many translational and rotational degrees of freedom. These artificial muscle systems can mimic the agonist-antagonist approach found in nature, so that active expansion of one artificial muscle is taken up by passive contraction in the other. They can also vary their stiffness. In addition, they have the ability to produce electricity from movement. But departing from the high stiffness paradigm of electromagnetic motors and gearboxes leads to new control challenges, and for soft machines to be truly dexterous like their biological analogues, they need precise control. Humans control their limbs using sensory feedback from strain sensitive cells embedded in muscle. In DE actuators, deformation is inextricably linked to changes in electrical parameters that include capacitance and resistance, so the state of strain can be inferred by sensing these changes, enabling the closed loop control that is critical for a soft machine. But the increased information processing required for a soft machine can impose a substantial burden on a central controller. The natural solution is to distribute control within the mechanism itself. The octopus arm is an example of a soft actuator with a virtually infinite number of degrees of freedom (DOF). The arm utilizes neural ganglia to process sensory data at the local “arm” level and perform complex tasks. Recent advances in soft electronics such as the piezoresistive dielectric elastomer switch (DES) have the potential to be fully integrated with actuators and sensors. With the DE switch, we can produce logic gates, oscillators, and a memory element, the building blocks for a soft computer, thus bringing us closer to emulating smart living structures like the octopus arm. The goal of future research is to develop fully soft machines that exploit smart actuation networks to gain capabilities formerly reserved to nature, and open new vistas in mechanical engineering.

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Section: Multi-functional Smart Muscle Systems With Fully Integratmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9), an actuator that can be manufactured using print technology. 51 In theory, a 6th freedom can be added: rotation about the pin. They have shown how this rotation can be achieved on a planar actuator using a non-uniform curved electrode patterning.…”

Section: Multi-degree-of-freedom De Actuationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-functional dielectric elastomer artificial muscles for soft and smart machines

Anderson

Gisby²,

McKay³

et al. 2012

Journal of Applied Physics

560

314

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1) [2]-provides an opportunity to build soft and truly lifelike robotic, mechatronic, and prosthetic devices. DEA are well suited to smart actuator networks [3] as they are capable of strong, silent, and large actuation [4], have already been incorporated into a wide range of biomimetic devices [5][6][7][8], and are made of cheap printable materials [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ion implanted dielectric elastomer circuits

et al. 2012

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Starfish and octopuses control their infinite degreeof-freedom arms with panache-capabilities typical of nature where the distribution of reflex-like intelligence throughout soft muscular networks greatly outperforms anything hard, heavy, and man-made. Dielectric elastomer actuators show great promise for soft artificial muscle networks. One way to make them smart is with piezo-resistive Dielectric Elastomer Switches (DES) that can be combined with artificial muscles to create arbitrary digital logic circuits. Unfortunately there are currently no reliable materials or fabrication process. Thus devices typically fail within a few thousand cycles.As a first step in the search for better materials we present a preliminary exploration of piezo-resistors made with filtered cathodic vacuum arc metal ion implantation. DES were formed on polydimethylsiloxane silicone membranes out of ion implanted gold nano-clusters. We propose that there are four distinct regimes (high dose, above percolation, on percolation, low dose) in which gold ion implanted piezo-resistors can operate and present experimental results on implanted piezo-resistors switching high voltages as well as a simple artificial muscle inverter. While gold ion implanted DES are limited by high hysteresis and low sensitivity, they already show promise for a range of applications

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“…The first is stereolithography, in which the object is built up in a batch of liquid polymer which is selectively cured, as the object is lowered step-wise into the bath as each layer is cured. In the second method the liquid polymer is printed by an inkjet process and is cured after deposition by a UV light attached to the print head [8][9][10][11] . This combination of UV curable polymer and inkjet printing technology is potentially very powerful, allowing a range of materials to be printed at the same time to a high level of precision.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Printability of elastomer latex for additive manufacturing or 3D printing

Lukić

Clarke

Tuck

et al. 2015

J of Applied Polymer Sci

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Additive manufacturing, sometimes referred to as 3D printing is a new, rapidly developing technology which has the potential to revolutionize fabrication of certain high value, complex products. Until now conventional elastomers have not been widely used in the additive manufacturing process. The goal of our work was to determine the feasibility of additive manufacturing using ink jet printing of elastomeric latex materials. Particle size, viscosity, and surface tension were measured for five different latex materials—poly(2‐chloro‐1,3‐butadiene), carboxylated styrene‐butadiene rubber, carboxylated butadiene‐acrylonitrile copolymer, natural rubber, and prevulcanized natural rubber. The XSBR latex was predicted as the one most likely to be printable. Printing trials carried out with the XSBR as the ink proved it to be printable, although technical problems of agglomeration and print head clogging need to be addressed and both the material and process need to be optimized for consistent printing to be achieved. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 42931.

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Printing 3D dielectric elastomer actuators for soft robotics

Cited by 93 publications

References 8 publications

Multi-functional dielectric elastomer artificial muscles for soft and smart machines

Multi-functional dielectric elastomer artificial muscles for soft and smart machines

Ion implanted dielectric elastomer circuits

Printability of elastomer latex for additive manufacturing or 3D printing

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