Abstract
An electro-conjugate fluid (ECF) is a kind of functional fluid which generates a powerful jet flow when subjected to high DC voltage. Using this fluid, this paper proposes a novel earthworm-type peristaltic micromachine. First we describe a motion pattern of earthworm-type peristaltic micromachine, and propose a micro cell using ECF. The cell, composed of a fiber-reinforced silicone rubber tube, contracts in axial direction and expands in radial direction simultaneously by using the jet pressure of ECF. A large model prototype of earthworm-type peristaltic microma-chine having four cells in series, 10.2 [mm] in diameter and 90 [mm] in length, is developed and its basic driving characteristics are confirmed by experiments.
