Abstract
A novel hydraulic actuator named the "MR cylinder"' is proposed and developed. The actuator is composed of a piston with electromagnets and a cylinder. MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid that is a functional fluid whose apparent viscosity can be controlled through the applied magentic field flows in the gap between the piston and cylinder and the differential pressure is controlled by the current applied for the electromagnets. The proposed actuator features compactness and large stroke. In this paper, the MR cylinder is proposed, fabricated and applied for a 2-link manipulator. The static and dynamic characteristics of the MR cylinder-driven manipulator is investigated experimentally.
