Fabrication and characterization of linear motion dielectric elastomer actuators

Abstract

This paper presents a new artificial muscle actuator produced from dielectric elastomer, called Tube-Spring Actuator(TSA). The new actuator construction includes two steps: the first part is a cylindrical actuator manufactured with dielectric elastomer and the second is a compressed spring inserted inside the tube. An inner spring is used to maximize the axial deformation while constraining the radial one. This unique design enables linear actuation with the largest strain of active length up to 14% without any additional means. As a result this actuator was applied to a robot hand. This study lays the foundation for the future work on dielectric polymer actuator.