BIO-INSPIRED SOFT ROBOTS BASED ON DIELECTRIC ELASTOMER ACTUATORS

Abstract

Soft robotics is a growing research field which may initiate evolutionary changes in robotics. Nature creatures use soft bodies to survive in complex environments. By learning from nature, researchers can integrate bi-inspired designs into soft robots by using intrinsically soft materials. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have recently gained significant interests for soft robots, owing to their high similarities to natural muscles. This thesis makes important contributions in DEA based bio-inspired soft robots. The author first studies a fibre-embedded planar actuator for artificial muscles. The large voltage-induced deformation and the capability to mimic jaw movement are investigated. The second part focuses on bi-stable DEAs to achieve fast response with low energy consumption. A soft gripper is designed based on the bi-stable DEA. The third part studies the feasibility of conductive polymers and silver nanowires as transparent electrodes for DEA based bio-inspired robotic applications. The material characteristics are explicitly optimized for DEAs.