Dielectric elastomer actuators &amp;#x2014; On the way to new actuation-systems driving future assistive, compliant and safe robots and prostheses

Reitelshöfer, Sebastian; Landgraf, Maximilian; Yoo, In Seong; Hörber, Johannes; Ramer, Christina; Ziegler, Christian; Franke, Jöerg

doi:10.1109/biorob.2014.6913877

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…It has been observed that the actuation forces are not enough to lift large loads. For their operation, it has a required voltage of about 1kV and up, which not only drastically increases power consumption but also makes safety difficult to implement [6,10,16,23,33]. Another actuator option is the use of Magnetic-based actuators.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modular multi-motor exercise system for space exploration

et al. 2020

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The goal of this project is to develop new technology that will support crew health and performance during long duration space missions. While there are current methods for maintaining fitness aboard the International Space Station, the results are not ideal; muscle mass and bone density continue to degrade, and there is still room for improvement. Moreover, new exploration missions need to maximize the use of the equipment due to storage limitations. A system that can be used for multiple purposes such as for providing multiple strength training exercises, as well as, providing aerobic exercises while using the same workout space is desirable. This project aims to address these challenges by introducing a modular system that will bring versatility, scalability, and robustness, by using mountable and reconfigurable modules to maximize the number of exercises that can be performed. In this paper we present the development of a Modular Multi-Motor Exercise System concept based on Magneto-Rheological fluid-based modules.

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modular multi-motor exercise system for space exploration

et al. 2020

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“…A robotic arm designed by Virginia Tech lifted a weight of 0.9 N with a height of 22 cm in approximately 4 min, yielding a force and speed capacity of less than 1% of the baseline human measurement [118]. Recently, the challenges and opportunities using DEAs for prosthetics have also been discussed in [118,121].…”

Section: Wearable/humanoid Robotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis and application of a rolled dielectric elastomer actuator with two degrees of freedom

Wang

Zhu

et al. 2016

Smart Mater. Struct.

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Conventional industrial robots with the rigid actuation technology have made great progress for humans in the fields of automation assembly and manufacturing. With an increasing number of robots needing to interact with humans and unstructured environments, there is a need for soft robots capable of sustaining large deformation while inducing little pressure or damage when maneuvering through confined spaces. The emergence of soft robotics offers the prospect of applying soft actuators as artificial muscles in robots, replacing traditional rigid actuators. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are recognized as one of the most promising soft actuation technologies due to the facts that: i) dielectric elastomers are kind of soft, motion-generating materials that resemble natural muscle of humans in terms of force, strain (displacement per unit length or area) and actuation pressure/ density; ii) dielectric elastomers can produce large voltage-induced deformation. In this survey, we first introduce the so-called DEAs emphasizing the key points of working principle, key components and electromechanical modeling approaches. Then, different DEA-driven soft robots, including wearable/humanoid robots, walking/serpentine robots, flying robots and swimming robots, are reviewed. Lastly, we summarize the challenges and opportunities for the further studies in terms of mechanism design, dynamics modeling and autonomous control.

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“…contains non-conservative generalized forces f f f that are treated fixed during variation. If additional constraints between generalized coordinates of the form g g g(q q q) = 0 0 0 (4) are introduced, Eqn. (1) must be extended by Lagrange multipliers λ λ λ that account for the generalized forces required to maintain the constraints.…”

Section: Numerical Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stacked dielectric actuators offer a wide range of applications [3]. When used as artificial muscles in humanoid robots, they provide an energy-efficient, noiseless and safe means of actuation [4]. Due to their elasticity, they can store energy and allow for natural humanoid motion, contributing to the field of soft robotics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic Simulation of Dielectric Elastomer Actuated Multibody Systems

Schlögl

Leyendecker

2016

Volume 1: Multifunctional Materials; Mechanics and Behavior of Active Materials; Integrated System Design and Implementation; S

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A three-dimensional electro-mechanically coupled finite element model for dielectric elastomers is used to actuate multibody systems. This setting allows exploring the complex behavior of humanoid robots that are driven by artificial muscles instead of electrical drives. The coupling between the finite element muscle model and the rigid bodies is formulated at configuration level, where Lagrange multipliers account for constraint forces, leading to differential algebraic equations of index-3. A well-chosen set of redundant configuration variables for the multibody system avoids any rotational degrees of freedom and leads to linear coupling constraints. As a result, the coupling between the artificial muscles and the multibody system can be formulated in a very modular way that allows for easy future extension. The applied structure preserving time integration scheme provides excellent long time energy behavior. In addition, the index-3 system is solved directly with numerical accuracy, avoiding index reduction approximations.

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Dielectric elastomer actuators — On the way to new actuation-systems driving future assistive, compliant and safe robots and prostheses

Cited by 8 publications

References 13 publications

Modular multi-motor exercise system for space exploration

Modular multi-motor exercise system for space exploration

Analysis and application of a rolled dielectric elastomer actuator with two degrees of freedom

Dynamic Simulation of Dielectric Elastomer Actuated Multibody Systems

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