Development of bending unit using dielectric elastomer actuator which is able to deform without pre-stretch

Abstract

In recent years, attention has been focused on soft actuators, especially dielectric elastomer actuators. DEA has a structure in which a dielectric is sandwiched between flexible electrodes. The performance of DEA depends on the dielectric. Generally, silicon rubber or acrylic rubber is used for the dielectric. When using these materials, the DEA typically requires significant stress during the initial stages of elongation and must be pre-stretched using a rigid frame. This rigid frame limits design and movement, and limits the range of DEA applications. Therefore, we focused on a dielectric material called a slide ring material. SRM can be stretched with low stress during the initial stages of elongation, therefore DEA which has SRM as dielectric can deform largely without pre-stretch. In this paper, a bending unit is developed using DEA with SRM, and its movement is confirmed by experiment.