SBIR Phase II: A study of the electromechanical failure modes in hydraulically amplified aelf-healing electrostatic (HASEL) actuators

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过了解高静电场对复合材料的影响而获得的新科学知识，将实验材料转化为鲁棒和高性能的HASEL（液压放大自修复静电）致动器，以及更普遍的HASEL致动技术在现实世界应用中的影响。这些知识有助于许多高度跨学科的科学领域，从静电学，材料科学，机械工程，计算机科学和电气工程。在该项目中实现的HASEL执行器的进步可能会对商业，研究，教育和国防部门产生广泛的影响。这些致动器可以是各种行业的使能组件，包括自动化、汽车、医疗设备、机器人和国防应用。HASEL执行器的主要特点包括：模拟运动、机械顺应性、高速、高应变、静音操作、定制和自感知。通过推进执行器技术，工业可以采用机器人技术，加强这些工业的经济竞争优势。该团队将继续利用学术合作伙伴关系，为培养和培养一支高素质的科学家和工程师技术队伍做出贡献。这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目旨在提高HASEL（液压放大自修复静电）执行器的性能。HASEL致动器利用静电力来驱动软液压结构中的形状变化，提供各种肌肉状致动模式和自我感知其变形状态的能力。HASEL致动器解决了现有软致动器技术中的关键问题。例如，软气动执行器必须连接到阀门和泵系统以实现高性能驱动，而HASEL执行器是电控的，可以使用电池供电的便携式电源进行操作。该团队将开发和验证提高HASEL执行器性能和易用性的方法。该技术的这些进展将通过材料优化，制造改进以及对高静电场下固-液复合电介质结构的更基本理解来实现。性能改进将应用于非常适合工业、消费、国防和实验应用的执行器。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the novel scientific knowledge gained by understanding the effects of high electrostatic fields on composite dielectrics, the translation of experimental materials to robust and high performance HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic) actuators, and, more generally, the impact of HASEL actuation technology within real-world applications. This knowledge contributes to many highly interdisciplinary fields of science, ranging from electrostatics, materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering. The advancements of HASEL actuators achieved during this project may have broad impacts on commercial, research, education, and defense sectors. These actuators may be an enabling component for a variety of industries including automation, automotive, medical devices, robotics, and defense applications. Key features of HASEL actuators include: analog motion, mechanical compliance, high speed, high strain, silent operation, customization, and self-sensing. By bringing forward actuator technologies, industries may adopt robotic technologies, strengthening the economic competitive advantage of these industries. The team will continue to leverage academic partnerships to contribute to and train a highly capable technical workforce of scientists and engineers.This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project seeks to advance the performance of HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic) actuators. HASEL actuators harness electrostatic forces to drive shape-change in a soft hydraulic structure, providing a variety of muscle-like actuation modes and the ability to self-sense their deformation state. HASEL actuators address critical problems in existing soft actuator technologies. For example, soft pneumatic actuators must be tethered to a system of valves and pumps for high performance actuation, whereas HASEL actuators are electrically controlled and can be operated with battery-powered portable power supplies. The team will develop and validate approaches to advance the performance and ease of use of HASEL actuators. These advances of the technology will be realized through material optimization, fabrication improvements, and a more fundamental understanding of solid-liquid composite dielectric structures under high electrostatic fields. Performance improvements will be applied to actuators well-suited for industrial, consumer, defense, and experimental applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.