Terrestrial Walking Robot With 2DoF Ionic Polymer–Metal Composite (IPMC) Legs

Abstract

This paper proposes a terrestrial walking robot using ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators based on a poly-vinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)/polystyrene sulfuric acid (PSSA) blend membrane. The IPMC based on PVDF/PVP/PSSA with a polymer mixture ratio of 30/15/55 shows a higher tip displacement and greater blocking force than Nafion-based IPMC actuators at low dc voltages. An actuation model is developed for the proposed membrane-based IPMC actuators, representing the transfer function between the input applied voltage and the output displacement of the IPMC actuator. For the terrestrial walking robot, we use a two-degreesof-freedom (2DoF) leg structure because of its superior characteristics in comparison with a 1DoF leg structure. In addition, a kinematic model of the 2DoF leg structure is introduced as a modeling framework based on the actuation model for the analysis of the locomotion using this IPMC leg structure. The simulation results of the actuation model and the kinematic model are compared with the empirical response of 1 and 2DoF legs. A terrestrial walking robot (size: 28 mm × 18 mm × 16.5 mm, weight: 1.2 g) with two 2DoF IPMC legs and two dummy legs has been designed and fabricated. Finally, we demonstrate the walking motion of the terrestrial walking robot.Index Terms-Biomimetic robot, ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC), terrestrial walking robot, two-degrees-of-freedom (2DoF) leg.

Propulsion Based on Electroactive Polymers for Walking Biomimetic Robotic Systems

“…-перемещения порядка нескольких милиметров; -управляющие напряжения порядка единиц вольт; -отсутствие жестких требований к окружающей среде (работает и на воздухе, и в воде); -технологичность; -потребляемая мощность порядка единиц милливатт. В связи с этим ИПМК-актюаторы нашли широкое применение в автономных робототехнических системах [4,5], где возможность создания больших перемещений и усилий, а также технологичность и энергоэффективность являются основными критериями выбора движителей.…”

Novel fabrication of soft microactuators with morphological computing using soft lithography

“…Soft actuators or artificial muscles have been contributing to the progress of robotics, allowing for the fabrication of scalable and flexible robotic systems 2–5 . Soft robots, made up of compliant materials like artificial muscles, extend the adaptability in applications requiring flexibility, which is rather constrained by the rigidness of traditional robots.…”

Modelling and Control of Ionic Electroactive Polymer Actuators under Varying Humidity Conditions

“…These flexible properties provide superior advantages in using this material for several soft actuator applications. Some of the attempted applications include fish-like robots [1][2][3], grippers [4], microactuators [5], biomedical devices [6], aquatic insectile robots [7], biomimetic robots [8], terrestrial walking robots [9], micro stage platforms [10], etc.…”