Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Zhaoguo Jiang, Yuan Li, Qinglin Wang
Summary: Dielectric Electro-Active Polymer (DEAP) has been widely used in intelligent bio-inspired robotics. This paper proposes a feedforward compensation scheme to cancel the creep phenomena in DEAP-based actuators, considering different control voltages and external mechanical loads. Comparative experiments show that the proposed compensator significantly reduces the creep induced by varied inputs.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Il Jin Kim, Kie Yong Cho, Eunji Kim, Young Je Kwon, Min Young Shon, Bo-In Park, Seunggun Yu, Jin Hong Lee
Summary: The article introduces a high dielectric constant PVDF terpolymer blend (PVTC-PTM) with fast response and large electromechanical strain. The blend shows significant improvements in dielectric constant and electromechanical performance compared to traditional electroactive polymers.
Article
Polymer Science
Ajeet Kumar, Dilshad Ahmad, Karali Patra, Mokarram Hossain
Summary: By incorporating barium titanate fillers into natural rubber matrix, high-performance composites with excellent mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical properties are prepared. The study shows that the best performance is achieved at 8 parts of barium titanate fillers.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Xiuyu Zhang, Yuehang Liu, Xinkai Chen, Zhi Li, Chun-Yi Su
Summary: This article proposes an adaptive pseudoinverse control scheme based on fuzzy logic system (FLS) and barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) for a class of state-constrained hysteretic nonlinear systems. The hysteresis nonlinearity in the actuators is considered and mitigated by the proposed pseudoinverse control algorithms. The all-state-constrained control problem of the Preisach hysteresis model is overcome with the aid of an FLS, BLFs, and the proposed hysteresis pseudoinverse algorithms.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
J. Neu, S. Croce, T. Willian, J. Hubertus, G. Schultes, S. Seelecke, G. Rizzello
Summary: In this work, the spatial electro-mechanical interactions in a 1-by-3 array of silicone DEs are systematically characterized. The study shows strong electro-mechanical coupling effects among the different array elements, which depend on various parameters and provide essential information for array actuator design. The results also indicate the presence of coupling effects in the DE capacitive response, which can be utilized for advanced self-sensing strategies.
EXPERIMENTAL MECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Ajeet Kumar, Karali Patra, Mokarram Hossain
Summary: This study successfully enhanced the electromechanical performance of dielectric composites prepared under an electric field during curing process. The comprehensive research provides guidance for future dielectric composite preparations and electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical experiments especially for oriented dipole fillers prepared under an electric field.
POLYMER COMPOSITES
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Yongwei Wang, Zhen Zhou, Yang Wei, Dongping Zhu
Summary: This study analyzed the mechanical properties of BFRP tendons with bonded anchors through experiments, finding that the bearing and elongation capacities are not influenced by loading rates and initial prestressed displacements. Colloidal deformations account for about 20% of the overall deformation of BFRP tendons, and the regressed formulas for anchor colloidal deformation effectively predict the responses of BFRP tendons.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Youhua Xiao, Zheqi Chen, Jie Mao, Xunuo Cao, Jin He, Tao Yang, Liyuan Chen, Xuxu Yang, Junjie Zhao, Tiefeng Li, Yingwu Luo
Summary: A method has been developed to fabricate ultrathin dielectric elastomer films of triblock copolymers and enhance their electromechanical performance, achieving improved breakdown strength, actuation area strain, and energy density. The enhancement is attributed to the self-reinforcement of the dielectric breakdown strength due to the morphology change of polystyrene nanodomains. The high electromechanical performance is achieved within sub-kV driving voltage in all cases due to the ultra-thinness of the film.
MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Zhaoguo Jiang, Yuan Li, Qinglin Wang
Summary: This paper proposes a feedforward-feedback tracking control approach to eliminate hysteresis nonlinearity in dielectric electro-active polymer (DEAP) actuators using a neural network model and empirical mode decomposition. Comparative experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS A-PHYSICAL
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Caner Sancak, Fatma Yamac, Mehmet Itik, Gursel Alici
Summary: This paper proposes a model-free control framework for controlling the tip force of a cantilevered trilayer CPA and similar smart actuators, eliminating the need for modeling CPAs. The control method is based on online local estimation of actuator dynamics, requiring few parameters to tune and providing a relatively easy design and implementation process compared to other model-free controllers. Additionally, a meta-heuristic PSO algorithm is used for optimizing the controller's performance, which is validated through simulation and experimental results showing successful control performance, robustness, and repeatability compared to a conventional PI controller.
JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT MATERIAL SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Fan Wang, Daliang Huang, Qinchuan Li, Yujiao Wu, Bo Yan, Zhenyu Wu, Sukho Park
Summary: In this study, we reported a novel highly electro-responsive ionic actuator based on functional carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CCNF) doped with ionic liquid (IL) and graphene nanoplatelets (GN). The designed CCNF-IL-GN actuator exhibited large displacement, faster response time, broad frequency bandwidth, and long actuation durability, making it highly suitable for applications in bionic robots, soft robots, wearable electronics, and biomedical active devices.
COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Yuchen Zuo, Yuxi Ding, Junshi Zhang, Mingliang Zhu, Lei Liu, Jianwen Zhao
Summary: The study found that the dynamic response of VHB 4905 elastomers is influenced by humidity, with the amplitude of dynamic deformation gradually increasing with humidity. Different parameters show diverse sensitivity to humidity. Additionally, humidity also affects the viscoelastic creeping of VHB 4905, with the equilibrium position of dynamic viscoelastic creep enlarging gradually with increasing humidity.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Zhongjing Ren, Jianping Yuan, Xiaoyu Su, Sundeep Mangla, Chang-Yong Nam, Ming Lu, Samuel A. Tenney, Yong Shi
Summary: This paper presents an electro-thermal modeling for multilayered metallic microstructures that can actuate vertically when heated. The study establishes a lumped model to analytically solve the temperature distribution under Joule heating, which is validated through experimental testing. The proposed microstructures show potential for microrobotic actuators, and the lumped model serves as an effective tool for their design and optimization based on varied requirements.
MICROSYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES-MICRO-AND NANOSYSTEMS-INFORMATION STORAGE AND PROCESSING SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Jing Cao, Yinbei Li, Xiaojun Zhang, Jiaqiang Yang, Wei Fan
Summary: This work proposes a torque-type backlash inverse (BI) controller for electromechanical actuators (EMA), which, in conjunction with an active disturbance rejection controller, can significantly reduce steady-state error and improve dynamic performance in complex conditions.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hao Zhong, Qiqi Xue, Jiameng Li, Yunfeng He, Yuxin Xie, Canhui Yang
Summary: In this paper, an all-solid electro-mechanically tunable lens driven by a dielectric elastomer actuator is presented. The tunable lens offers advantages in compactness, lightweight, low power consumption, and fast response compared to conventional lenses. The lens achieves a larger relative change of focal length than the human eye and exhibits fast response, stable operation, and long shelf-life.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
G. Rizzello, M. A. Mandolino, M. Schmidt, D. Naso, S. Seelecke
SMART MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES
(2019)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Paul Motzki, Frank Khelfa, Lukas Zimmer, Marvin Schmidt, Stefan Seelecke
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2019)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Marc Hill, Gianluca Rizzello, Stefan Seelecke
SMART MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES
(2019)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
A. Jung, K. Al Majthoub, Ch. Jochum, S. -M. Kirsch, F. Welsch, S. Seelecke, S. Diebels
JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICS AND PHYSICS OF SOLIDS
(2019)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Bettina Fasolt, Felix Welsch, Marius Jank, Stefan Seelecke
SMART MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES
(2019)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Julian Kunze, Johannes Prechtl, Daniel Bruch, Bettina Fasolt, Sophie Nalbach, Paul Motzki, Stefan Seelecke, Gianluca Rizzello
Summary: In this study, a novel coreless rolled dielectric elastomer actuator (CORDEA) is developed for use as artificial muscles in soft robotic structures. The concept is based on a silicone film with screen-printed carbon black electrodes, stacked and rolled in a spiral structure using off-the-shelf components. A new manufacturing process focuses on simplicity and reliability, enabling high energy density actuator systems. Experimental evaluation and performance testing with mass load and cycling voltage show promising results.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Sipontina Croce, Julian Neu, Jonas Hubertus, Stefan Seelecke, Guenter Schultes, Gianluca Rizzello
Summary: This paper presents a novel soft DEA system, which achieves a large stroke by using a fully polymeric dome as the NBS element. A model-based design procedure is proposed to maximize stroke by optimizing the geometry of the biasing dome. Through experimental validation, a numerical design algorithm is developed to find the optimal dome geometry for a given DE membrane characteristics.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
J. Prechtl, J. Kunze, G. Moretti, D. Bruch, S. Seelecke, G. Rizzello
Summary: Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have widespread applications in mechatronics and robotics due to their large deformation, high energy density, and high compliance. Rolled DEAs (RDEAs) are a popular configuration for soft robots, providing compact muscle-like actuators with self-sensing capabilities. This work proposes a novel lumped-parameter model for silicone-based, thin and tightly rolled RDEAs, accurately predicting the electro-mechanical response while maintaining a simple mathematical structure. The model is validated through experiments on three RDEA specimens with different geometries.
SMART MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Bergita Ganse, Marcel Orth, Michael Roland, Stefan Diebels, Paul Motzki, Stefan Seelecke, Susanne -Marie Kirsch, Felix Welsch, Annchristin Andres, Kerstin Wickert, Benedikt J. Braun, Tim Pohlemann
Summary: This paper reviews the literature on active implants and interventions for nonunion, discusses possible mechanisms of active implants, and points out the directions for further research and development.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sebastian Gratz-Kelly, Gianluca Rizzello, Marco Fontana, Stefan Seelecke, Giacomo Moretti
Summary: This paper presents a principle to develop multi-function dielectric elastomer actuators that can accomplish both linear actuation and sound generation through a single electrical input. Experimental results demonstrate the ability of the actuators to simultaneously generate linear actuation and sound, which has great potential for various applications.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Sebastian Gratz-Kelly, Tim Krueger, Gianluca Rizzello, Stefan Seelecke, Giacomo Moretti
Summary: This paper introduces a concept of a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) user interface (smart button) that can detect a user's touch and provide multi-sensory tactile and acoustic feedbacks through a single electrical input signal. The DEA utilizes a multi-layer layout, with one layer detecting user-driven deformations and the remaining layers providing actuation. By exciting different vibration modes of the same active membrane over different frequency ranges, combined tactile and acoustic feedbacks are produced. The system presented in this paper offers improved sensing performance and integration, specifically optimized for user-interaction applications.
SMART MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Tobias Pascal Willian, Bettina Fasolt, Paul Motzki, Gianluca Rizzello, Stefan Seelecke
Summary: This paper presents a systematic study on the performance of dielectric elastomer (DE) sensors with different electrode compositions consisting of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and nano-scaled carbon blacks (CB). The experiments show that the electrode resistance depends on the weight ratio of CB to PDMS and the type of CB used. At low ratios, a high electrical resistance accompanied by a bimodal behavior in the resistance time evolution was observed, which decreases with increasing CB ratio. The type of PDMS also influences the resistance characteristics during elongation. Finally, a physical model of the observed phenomenon is presented.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Stefan Seelecke, Julian Neu, Sipontina Croce, Jonas Hubertus, Guenter Schultes, Gianluca Rizzello
Summary: This paper presents the first phase results of the Dielectric Elastomer Cooperative Microactuator Systems (DECMAS) project. The goal of this project is to develop a soft cooperative microactuator system with high flexibility, large-stroke/high-frequency actuation, and self-sensing capabilities. The paper introduces design concepts, a single-actuator demonstrator, and a 3 x 1 system for experimental study of coupling effects, and also presents a new methodology for fabricating metal-based electrodes for future microscale applications.
Proceedings Paper
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Filomena Simone, Daniele Meli, Gianluca Rizzello, David Naso, Stefan Seelecke
BEHAVIOR AND MECHANICS OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS XIII
(2019)
Article
Robotics
Johannes Fauser, Rotnol Chadda, Yannik Goergen, Markus Hessinger, Paul Motzki, Igor Stenin, Julia Kristin, Thomas Klenzner, Joerg Schipper, Stefan Seelecke, Roland Werthschuetzky, Mario Kupnik, Anirban Mukhopadhyay
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2019)
