水圧と形状記憶ポリマーを用いた小型ソフトアクチュエータの駆動原理

抄録

This article focuses on the driving mechanism of a miniature soft actuator for endoscopic surgery. The actuator is designed to perform deploying/retraction and stiffening/softening behavior with hydraulic control. A temperature-responsive shape memory polymer embedded as a backbone to adjust the stiffness and keep the shape of the actuator. We first introduce the design and control strategy, and then show the finite element method results of its retraction behavior. Next, we illustrate the fabrication process of actuator prototypes, and report the deploying/retracting demonstration experiment. Our work primarily proves the actuation ability of the actuator, and reveals the direction of future improvement.