Electrorheological fluids in the design of clutch systems for robotic applications

The introduction of electrorheological (ER) fluids has created a direct interface between mechanical and electronic devices. The use of such fluids in the design of torque-transmitting clutch systems which will have many applications in complex electromechanical systems such as robotic devices is investigated. Two examples are given which demonstrate the effective use of ER fluids in achieving variable output torque and computer-controlled bidirectional output movement. Overall results and limitations of both systems are discussed. A comparison with other available clutch systems is given