Abstract
The IPMC (the abbreviation of ionic polymer-metal composite) is one of the "artificial muscles" (also called electro active polymer: EAP). The IPMC can be driven in water by applying low voltage at most 3V and have 10msec respondence were reported. Because of those features, the IPMC is hopeful for under water bio-mimetic robots. In this paper, we proposed the underwater peristaltic micropump using IPMC. A micro gate by IPMC-polyethylene was manufactured and applied square wave voltage at 2V to 3V. The gate can be almost opened and closed by about 1.2mm at 0.2Hz and moreover gushed water from the gate.
