Ultrathin Dielectric Elastomer Fibers for Actuation

Microrobots offer the potential for dramatically improved capability in a wide variety of fields, such as search and rescue, manufacturing, and medicine. Key to the performance of microrobots are the actuators that convert energy into mechanical motion. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are particularly promising as they offer a strong combination of large maximum strain, maximum pressure, good elastic energy density, and fast cycle speed. One of the main limitations of DEAs, however, is the high voltages required for actuation. Triton proposes to develop fiber DEAs for use in microrobotics that will have significantly reduced voltage requirements, flexible actuation, and diameters that will meet the requirements of the program. We will demonstrate a scalable fabrication process for fiber DEAs and verify their performance.