| Dielectric elastomer (29) |  |
To find an active material that would be most suitable for use in space Holschuh considered 14 types of shape-changing materials ranging from dielectric elastomers to shape-memory polymers before settling on nickel-titanium shape
or single dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAS) on top of each other in an antagonistic configuration in order to create an actuator that allows bidirectional actuation and passive folding.
With their own version of 4d printing, Fergal B. Coulter and Anton Ianakiev are exploring the fabrication of artificial muscle by creating a system for producing seamless tubular silicone membranes with dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA
#Soft, energy-efficient robotic wings Dielectric elastomers are novel materials for making actuators or motors with soft and lightweight properties that can undergo large active deformations with high-energy conversion efficiencies.
This has made dielectric elastomers popular for creating devices such as robotic hands, soft robots, tunable lenses and pneumatic valves--and possibly flapping robotic wings.
Reporting this week in the journal Applied Physics Letters("Phenomena of nonlinear oscillation and special resonance of a dielectric elastomer minimum energy structure rotary joint"),researchers from the Harbin Institute of technology in Weihai, China
Los angeles (UCLA), have discovered a new resonance phenomenon in a dielectric elastomer rotary joint that can make the artificial joint bend up and down,
Jianwen Zhao/Harbin Institute of technology in Weihai, University of California-Los angeles)" The dielectric elastomer is a kind of electro-active polymer that can deform
He said that most studies on dielectric elastomers are using a static or stable voltage to stimulate the joint motion,
"Zhao said this new phenomenon makes the dielectric elastomer joint a good candidate for creating a soft and lightweight flapping wing for robotic birds,
which would be more efficient than bird wings based on electrical motors due to the higher energy conversion efficiency (60 to 90 percent) of the dielectric elastomer.
Dielectric elastomers, due to their soft and lightweight inherent properties and superior electromechanical performances, are considered as a kind of material close to human muscles
dielectric elastomers can be squeezed and expanded in a plane when a voltage is applied between electrodes. In contrast to actuators based on rigid materials such as silicon, dielectric elastomers can reach a very large extent of stretch, often exceeding 100 percent elongation while not breaking,
enabling new possibilities in many fields including soft robotics, tunable optics, and cell manipulation. The dielectric elastomer actuator Zhao used is called a"dielectric elastomer minimum-energy structure"
which is composed of a thin elastic frame and pre-stretched dielectric elastomer films, Zhao said. After adhering the pre-stretched film to the thin elastic frame,
the restoring force of the dielectric elastomer film bends the elastic frame, balancing at a minimum energy state.
When applying kilovolts of low-current electricity on the dielectric elastomer, the frame flattens out and the bending angle decreases.
To restrict frame bending to only one axis, two stiffening frames are mounted to the primary frame as rigid nonbending edges,
which makes dielectric elastomer minimum-energy structures a useful structure for fabricating soft devices, Zhao said.
After experimenting with various parameters such as voltage values, frequencies and the joint mass in the dielectric elastomer joint system,
Also, since dielectric elastomers feature high energy density (seventy times higher than conventional electromagnetic actuators) and high-energy conversion efficiency (60 to 90 percent), they could be good candidates for making energy-efficient devices,
The researchers'next step is to improve the function of the dielectric elastomer rotary joint and refine the fabrication technique to make a real flapping wing g
40 very fine, dielectric elastomer sensors measure compression load and distribution for diabetes patients taking over the job usually performed by the nerves in their feet. xisting systems on the market measure the pressure distribution
made from electroactive dielectric elastomer, a soft, compliant smart material, can effectively copy the action of biological chromatophores.
"The researchers investigated making bio-inspired artificial skin embedded with artificial chromatophores using thin sheets (five to ten millimetre) of dielectric elastomer-a soft,
made from electroactive dielectric elastomer, a soft, compliant smart material, can effectively copy the action of biological chromatophores.
"The researchers investigated making bio-inspired artificial skin embedded with artificial chromatophores using thin sheets (five to ten millimetre) of dielectric elastomer--a soft,
The skin the team has developed is made from a soft electroactive dielectric elastomer, coated with black carbon grease.
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