Artificial Muscle Actuator based on Synthetic Elastomer

Abstract

In this paper, we present an artificial muscle actuator producing rectilinear motion, called the Tube–Spring–Actuator (TSA). The TSA is supposed to be a prospective substitute in areas requiring macro forces such as robotics. It is simply configured from a synthetic elastomer tube with an inserted spring. The design of the TSA is described in detail and its analysis is conducted to investigate the characteristics of the actuator based on the derived model. In addition, the performance of the proposed actuator is tested via experiments.