Analytic modeling and experiments of tri-layer, electro-thermal actuators for thin and soft robotics

Gal Tibi, Ela Sachyani, Michael Layani, Shlomo Magdassi, Amir Degani

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

By bonding micron-thin polymer layers with an electrically conductive layer, we can utilize the bi-metal effect to create a soft, thin, electrically-activated thermal actuator (ETA), which can be used in printed soft robots. Using ETAs have shown quite remarkable potential in previous works. However, to reveal their true capabilities, we propose to utilize a multi-layered ETA. In this research, we analytically model the actuator for both the bi-, and more importantly, tri-layer ETAs and analyze their behavior. We develop a simple intuitive model to better explain the benefits of the tri-layer actuation and to estimate the optimal design parameters. We verify the models by conducting an experiment to measure the curvature change for different third layer thicknesses. The experiments show a significant improvement in performance of the tri-layer actuators and display a good fit between the simplified analytic model and the full model.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationICRA 2017 - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages6712-6717
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781509046331
DOIs
StatePublished - 21 Jul 2017
Event2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2017 - Singapore, Singapore
Duration: 29 May 20173 Jun 2017

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
ISSN (Print)1050-4729

Conference

Conference2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2017
Country/TerritorySingapore
CitySingapore
Period29/05/173/06/17

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 IEEE.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Analytic modeling and experiments of tri-layer, electro-thermal actuators for thin and soft robotics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this