Soft robotic tentacle arm element actuated by rolled dielectric elastomer artificial muscles

Abstract

Due to their suitability for human-robot interactions the importance of soft robots is increasing in the last years. In this paper, a Soft Robotic tentacle arm element actuated by rolled dielectric elastomer actuators (RDEAs) is presented. A 2D-bending-element has been developed which consists of a central vertical flexible beam and two rigid horizontal platforms onto which two antagonistic RDEA are connected. By exploiting the buckling instability of the beam, high angular deflections can be achieved. We consider this combination of a buckling beam and antagonistic RDEAs an important step towards realizing the full potential of DEAs as artificial muscles.