Abstract
This paper proposes a novel fluid powered actuator sliding along a flexible tube. The actuator named Λ-drive is composed of a flat tube and a slider. In the slider, the tube is bent and then the buckling point occurs, which helps to cut off the fluid passage and to seal in order to provide the driving force to the slider without generating large friction. In this paper, after the conventional sliding actuators are compared, the design method of the proposed actuator for making stable drive possible, the classification of the driving mode, and the analysis of the output force are discussed. Moreover, the validity of the proposed analysis can be verified through the experiment of the linear and the spiral motion by the developed prototype. Finally, as one of the applications of the actuator, the active drive of the zipper is proposed and its feasibility is discussed.
