Monday  |  Milwaukee  |  04:20 PM–04:40 PM

#19318, Temperature-Dependent Elasticity-Driven Soft Actuators: Model and Experiment

With the growth of robotic systems in society, there is a dire need to develop soft actuators that not only interact safely with humans but provide multiple degree-of-freedom capability for complex motion. Reversible changes in the elastic modulus of polymers due to external temperature stimuli motivated this research to develop actuators that can generate strokes while under certain applied stresses. In this work, we have explored the temperature-dependent elasticity of an elastomer (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS) and developed analytical models to predict the actuation response utilizing this temperature-dependent behavior. Based on our models, we designed and fabricated actuator devices with contractile and extensile actuation, in addition to angular actuation. We studied the effect of different levels of initial applied stress on actuation stroke and observed that at up to 0.5 MPa of initial stress, reversible actuation of as high as 12% is observed without any creep. From this research, we established a methodology to set the design parameters to maximize the actuation performance of elasticity-driven elastomeric actuators.

Navid Bin Mojahid   Texas A&M University
Frank Gardea   U.S. Army Research Laboratory South
Grant Carlson   Texas A&M University
Mohammad Naraghi   Texas A&M University