電界共役流体(ECF)を液圧源とするマイクロジャミンググリッパに関する研究

抄録

As universal grippers, we propose a new gripper utilizing a jamming transition phenomenon with negative pressure generated by an ECF (Electro-conjugated fluid) jet. ECF is a kind of functional fluid that can produce a strong jet when a high DC voltage is applied to the electrode pairs in ECF. The jamming gripper consists of a balloon and particles inside and can grip various objects without feedback control. In this report, we realize a MEMS-fabricated ECF micropumps with high output power density to satisfy the negative pressure necessary for the jamming. Also, we assemble a micro jamming gripper and show it can catch the object by utilizing an external ECF micropump. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed jamming gripper including ECF pressure sources inside.