Programmed shape-morphing into complex target shapes using architected dielectric elastomer actuators

Hajiesmaili, Ehsan; Larson, Natalie M.; Lewis, Jennifer A.; Clarke, David R.

doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn9198

Cited by 44 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…More broadly, our laser ablation method can be extended into a method for patterning electrodes, which will benefit future designs of stretchable displays ( 34 , 35 ) and shape-morphing structures ( 36 ). In these devices, the electrodes have specifically designed patterns for achieving desired illuminated shapes or deformation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser-assisted failure recovery for dielectric elastomer actuators in aerial robots

et al. 2023

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Insects maintain remarkable agility after incurring severe injuries or wounds. Although robots driven by rigid actuators have demonstrated agile locomotion and manipulation, most of them lack animal-like robustness against unexpected damage. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are a class of muscle-like soft transducers that have enabled nimble aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic robotic locomotion comparable to that of rigid actuators. However, unlike muscles, DEAs suffer local dielectric breakdowns that often cause global device failure. These local defects severely limit DEA performance, lifetime, and size scalability. We developed DEAs that can endure more than 100 punctures while maintaining high bandwidth (>400 hertz) and power density (>700 watt per kilogram)—sufficient for supporting energetically expensive locomotion such as flight. We fabricated electroluminescent DEAs for visualizing electrode connectivity under actuator damage. When the DEA suffered severe dielectric breakdowns that caused device failure, we demonstrated a laser-assisted repair method for isolating the critical defects and recovering performance. These results culminate in an aerial robot that can endure critical actuator and wing damage while maintaining similar accuracy in hovering flight. Our work highlights that soft robotic systems can embody animal-like agility and resilience—a critical biomimetic capability for future robots to interact with challenging environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser-assisted failure recovery for dielectric elastomer actuators in aerial robots

et al. 2023

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“…The design of patterned matter for shape morphing is facilitated by emerging fabrication approaches that include 3D/4D printing (23)(24)(25), ultraviolet lithography for magnetic particles (26), alignment technologies for LCE (27,28), and laser or wafer-jet cutting (20,29). For these shape-morphing strategies that are prescribed during the fabrication process, the control system can be considered as the modeling that predicts the deformation (30). The limitation of this predefined shapemorphing approach is that only one shape can be formed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Passively addressed robotic morphing surface (PARMS) based on machine learning

et al. 2023

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Reconfigurable morphing surfaces provide new opportunities for advanced human-machine interfaces and bio-inspired robotics. Morphing into arbitrary surfaces on demand requires a device with a sufficiently large number of actuators and an inverse control strategy. Developing compact, efficient control interfaces and algorithms is vital for broader adoption. In this work, we describe a passively addressed robotic morphing surface (PARMS) composed of matrix-arranged ionic actuators. To reduce the complexity of the physical control interface, we introduce passive matrix addressing. Matrix addressing allows the control of N 2 independent actuators using only 2 N control inputs, which is substantially lower than traditional direct addressing ( N 2 control inputs). Using machine learning with finite element simulations for training, our control algorithm enables real-time, high-precision forward and inverse control, allowing PARMS to dynamically morph into arbitrary achievable predefined surfaces on demand. These innovations may enable the future implementation of PARMS in wearables, haptics, and augmented reality/virtual reality.

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“…As an emerging type of actuation, soft actuators have been widely explored and applied to intelligent actuators [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], deep-sea exploration [ 4 , 5 ], bionic robotics [ 6 , 7 , 8 ], tunable optical devices [ 9 , 10 ], and morphological control [ 11 , 12 ] due to their outstanding features such as softness and flexibility, strong environmental adaptability, and excellent biocompatibility. Among the various soft actuation principles [ 13 ], dielectric elastomers have attracted great attention due to their large actuation deformation, fast response, and high energy density [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Analysis and Actuation Performance of a Push-Pull Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

2023

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Dielectric elastomer actuation has been extensively investigated and applied to bionic robotics and intelligent actuators due to its status as an excellent actuation technique. As a conical dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) structure extension, push-pull DEA has been explored in controlled acoustics, microfluidics, and multi-stable actuation due to its simple fabrication and outstanding performance. In this paper, a theoretical model is developed to describe the electromechanical behavior of push-pull DEA based on the force balance of the mass block in an actuator. The accuracy of the proposed model is experimentally validated by employing the mass block in the construction of the actuator as the object of study. The actuation displacement of the actuator is used as the evaluation indication to investigate the effect of key design parameters on the actuation performance of the actuator, its failure mode, and critical failure voltage. A dynamic actuator model is proposed and used with experimental data to explain the dynamic response of the actuator, its natural frequency, and the effect of variables. This work provides a strong theoretical background for dielectric elastomer actuators, as well as practical design and implementation experience.

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Programmed shape-morphing into complex target shapes using architected dielectric elastomer actuators

Cited by 44 publications

References 24 publications

Laser-assisted failure recovery for dielectric elastomer actuators in aerial robots

Laser-assisted failure recovery for dielectric elastomer actuators in aerial robots

Passively addressed robotic morphing surface (PARMS) based on machine learning

Design Analysis and Actuation Performance of a Push-Pull Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

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