Design and Performance Testing of Electro-fluidic Soft Actuator
摘要
Electro-fluidic actuators have become an investigated hotspot for their inherent adaptability and security of human-machine interaction. This paper points to combining the characteristics of dielectric elastomers and fluid actuators and developing electro-fluidic soft actuators by modifying Al2O3 on the surface of nano BaTiO3 to move forward the dielectric constant and breakdown field strength and by utilizing the silicone rubber material as a substrate. Tests on the actuation strain and current performance of the electro-fluidic soft actuator under diverse loads were carried out, which appeared that the maximum actuation strain of the electro-fluidic soft actuator was 17.20% under 100 g load, the critical breakdown current of the actuator was 115 μA~130 μA, and the maximum electro-mechanical conversion efficiency of the actuator was 67.93% under different loads. Experimental results show that an appropriate load is beneficial to improving the energy utilization of the actuator. Finally, the development of electro-fluidic soft actuators has opened new avenues for materials development and application, contributing to the development of soft robots.