Soft PEFC tube driving Thin Mckibben Muscle

Abstract

Thin Mckibben muscles are receiving a lot of attention as having high performances including high contraction ratio, high flexibility, and productivity. It is one of the challenges for pneumatic actuators including the thin Mckibben muscle that they generally need air-hose and mechanical air sources which causes bulky systems. To free pneumatic actuators from those bulky systems, we have proposed a new approach that utilizes electrolysis and synthesis of water by a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC). Though the method could have high applicability to the thin Mckibben muscle, development of a tube-shaped soft PEFC prevents the realization of an electrically driven thin Mckibben muscle. This paper describes a proposal of an electrically driven thin Mckibben muscle with a tube-shaped soft PEFC realized by flowing non-electrolytic plating method.