Micro Artificial Muscle Actuator using Jet Flow of Electro-conjugate Fluid

Abstract

Soft mechanics inspired from natural systems is one of keywords in the robotic field in last decate. Accordingly, artificial muscles were widely investigated due to their potentials in soft machines or soft robots. There developed many types of artificial muscles including pneumatic ones, ion-exchange polymer composite ones, polymer gels, shape memory alloys, and so on, however, they are not used as a practical actuator. In this study, the authors propose a new type of micro artificial muscle actuator (<1 cm³) utilizing the electro-conjugate fluid (ECF) which generates powerful jet flow (ECF jet) with high voltage supply (-kV). The actuator is mainly composed of a fiber-reinforced silicone rubber tube and a micro pressure source using the ECF. The inner pressure of the silicone rubber tube is increased by the ECF jet generated at the pressure source. The silicone rubber tube contracts along the actuator axis with the increasing pressure. The driving characteristics of the micro artificial muscle actuator were experimentally investigated. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed actuator.