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Inflated soft actuators with reversible stable deformations
Most soft robotic systems are currently dependent on bulky compressors or pumps. A soft actuation method is presented combining hyperelastic membranes and dielectric elastomer actuators to switch between stable deformations of sealed chambers. This method is capable of large repeatable deformations, and has a number of stable states proportional to the number of actuatable membranes in the chamber.
@article{hines2016inflated, title = {Inflated soft actuators with reversible stable deformations}, journal = {Advanced Materials}, abstract = {Most soft robotic systems are currently dependent on bulky compressors or pumps. A soft actuation method is presented combining hyperelastic membranes and dielectric elastomer actuators to switch between stable deformations of sealed chambers. This method is capable of large repeatable deformations, and has a number of stable states proportional to the number of actuatable membranes in the chamber.}, volume = {28}, number = {19}, pages = {3690--3696}, year = {2016}, slug = {hines2016inflated}, author = {Hines, Lindsey and Petersen, Kirstin and Sitti, Metin} }