Novel Configurations of Slit Tubular Soft Robotic Actuators and Sensors made with Ionic Polymer Metal Composites (IPMCs)

Abstract

Reported is a new family of ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) actuators, energy harvesters and sensors in slit cylindrical/tubular configurations. The slit IPMC cylindrical/tubular elements are made of bending IPMC slit elements distributed symmetrically around a cylindrical mantle. The slit bending elements around the cylindrical mantle may be either straight and/or parallel with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder for linear actuation and sensing in terms of the length of the entire cylinder or may be helically wound around the cylindrical mantle to produce a combination of linear and torsional actuations and even bending for the slit cylindrical tube. This paper further introduces some models and special cases of linear IPMC actuators and sensors in slit cylindrical/tubular form. Experimental results relating the bending deformation to the axial deformations of slit cylinders are also presented. Of particular interest is the emergence of undulating linear actuation and sensing by slit IPMCs and their combination with twisting and bending to create 3-D soft robotic manipulation and undulation like in an elephant trunk.