Title :
Design of dielectric electroactive polymers for a compact and scalable variable stiffness device
Author :
Dastoor, Sanjay ; Cutkosky, Mark
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mech. Eng., Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA, USA
Abstract :
We present the design, analysis, and experimental validation of a variable stiffness device based on annular dielectric electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators. The device is based on a diaphragm geometry, which partially linearizes the viscoelastic response of acrylic dielectrics, providing voltage-controlled stiffness without high damping losses. Multiple diaphragms can be connected in a single device to increase stiffness or provide custom stiffness profiles. The geometry is analyzed to determine the relationship among force, displacement and voltage. A single-layer diaphragm was constructed and tested to validate the concept, demonstrating up to 10× change in stiffness.
Keywords :
electroactive polymer actuators; acrylic dielectrics; annular dielectric electroactive polymer actuators; damping losses; diaphragm geometry; experimental validation; single-layer diaphragm; stiffness profiles; variable stiffness device; viscoelastic response; voltage-controlled stiffness; Actuators; Dielectrics; Electrodes; Force; Geometry; Materials; Robots;
Conference_Titel :
Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2012 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Saint Paul, MN
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-1403-9
Electronic_ISBN :
1050-4729
DOI :
10.1109/ICRA.2012.6224808