Synthetic Muscle electroactive polymer (EAP) shape-morphing and pressure sensing for robotic grippers
Synthetic Muscle electroactive polymer (EAP) shape-morphing and pressure sensing for robotic grippers
复制标题
用于机器人抓手的合成肌肉电活性聚合物 (EAP) 形状变形和压力传感
DOI：
10.1117/12.2558965
复制
发表时间：
2020
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Secino, Benjamin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Rasmussen, Lenore;Vicars, Peter N.;Briggs, Calum R.;Cheng, Tianyu;Clancy, Edward A.;Carey, Shannon;Secino, Benjamin
Ras Labs生产的Synthetic Muscle™是一类基于电活性聚合物（EAP）的材料和致动器，可在低电压（1.5 V至50 V，包括使用电池）下可控地收缩和膨胀，可能感测压力（轻轻触摸到高冲击），并衰减力。这通过收缩类似于人类肌肉来提供仿生运动，但也通过在相反的电极性下扩展而超过自然生物能力。这些EAP是负担得起的和强大的。它们已经在许多恶劣的环境中进行了测试，包括极端温度，高压水下环境和国际空间站上的太空。潜在的承载应用是可行的，在压缩测试时具有显著的机械强度。对选定的EAP样品进行测试，并在4 Hz下从5 psi至30 psi进行3，000，000次循环，然后进行50 psi压缩。人类的抓握是温和而坚定的，具有触觉反馈。与形状变形能力相结合，这些EAP也被探索用于本质上感知压力，这是由于施加到EAP的机械力与其电子签名之间的相关性。我们正在继续推进EAP技术，并将该技术应用于机器人夹具。在工业革命的第四阶段，机器人时代，机器人领域正在经历惊人的增长。Ras Labs的EAP形状和传感功能的结合，有望使机器人抓手具有类似人手的控制和触觉传感的潜力。这项工作有望推动机器人技术和假肢技术的发展，特别是协作机器人技术，使人类和机器人能够直观地安全有效地共同工作。
Ras Labs makes Synthetic Muscle™, which is a class of electroactive polymer (EAP) based materials and actuators that controllably contract and expand at low voltage (1.5 V to 50 V, including use of batteries), potentially sense pressure (gentle touch to high impact), and attenuate force. This offers biomimetic movement by contracting similar to human muscles, but also exceeds natural biological capabilities by expanding under reversed electric polarity. These EAPs are affordable and robust. They have been tested in many harsh environments, including extreme temperatures, high pressure underwater environments, and in space on the International Space Station. Potential load bearing applications are feasible, with significant mechanical strength when tested in compression. Selected EAP samples were tested and survived 3,000,000 cycles at 4 Hz from 5 psi to 30 psi, followed by a 50-psi compression. Human grasp is gentle yet firm, with tactile touch feedback. In conjunction with shape-morphing abilities, these EAPs also are being explored to intrinsically sense pressure due to the correlation between mechanical force applied to the EAP and its electronic signature. We are continuing to advance EAP technology and apply this technology towards robotic grippers. The robotic field is experiencing phenomenal growth in this fourth phase of the industrial revolution, the robotics era. The combination of Ras Labs’ EAP shapemorphing and sensing features promises the potential for robotic grippers with human hand-like control and tactile sensing. This work is expected to advance both robotics and prosthetics, particularly for collaborative robotics to allow humans and robots to intuitively work safely and effectively together.