NRI-Small: Multifunctional Electroactive Polymers for Muscle-Like Actuation

该项目旨在开发一种新型的双稳态电活性聚合物，该聚合物结合了大驱动应变和能量密度、可变刚度和双稳态变形。该项目的技术途径包括：(1)合成由互穿聚合物网络组成的新型聚合物，以实现稳定的高应变驱动；(2)研究超薄碳纳米管涂层的容错性和提高运行可靠性；(3)通过合成具有高介电常数的新型聚合物以及开发高质量聚合物薄膜的加工技术，将电活性聚合物的驱动电压降低到200 V左右；(4)制造易于集成到机器人系统中的紧凑模块化执行器。该项目潜在的变革性技术影响是一种全新的致动器材料，可以重现肌肉的结构，驱动和传感功能，并且可以插入到广泛的机器人系统中进行运动和操作。该项目将开发一种基于双稳态电活性聚合物的新型致动器材料，其行为类似于人造肌肉，并提供未来机器人系统所需的组合属性，包括优于人类骨骼肌的功率输出、灵活性、安静性和生物相容性。基于新型聚合物材料的致动器能够设计出与人互动的机器人系统，如残疾人的辅助假体或辅助装置，用于老年人家庭护理的人形机器人，以及拯救生命的手术机器人。该材料也可用于工业自动化，以提高生产效率。该项目包括重要的外联和教育活动。它将每年为少数族裔高中学生提供暑期研究实习机会。本科生和研究生将参与拟议的研究，以获得实践研究经验，以及分析，沟通和人际交往技能。

This project aims to develop a new, bistable electroactive polymer that combines large actuation strain and energy density with variable stiffness and bistable deformation. The technical approach of the project involves: (1) synthesizing new polymers comprising interpenetrating polymers network to achieve stable, high-strain actuation; (2) investigating ultrathin carbon nanotube coatings for fault tolerance and enhanced operation reliability; (3) reducing the driving voltages of electroactive polymers to around 200 V by synthesizing new polymers with high dielectric permittivity as well as by developing processing techniques to produce high-quality polymer thin films; and (4) fabricating compact modular actuators that can be readily integrated into robotic systems. The potential transformative technical impact of this project is a radically new actuator material that can reproduce the structural, actuation, and sensing functions of muscles, and can be inserted into a broad range of robotic systems for locomotion and manipulation. This project will develop a new actuator material based on a bistable electroactive polymer that behaves like an artificial muscle, and offers a combination of attributes that future robotic systems demand including power output that outperforms human skeletal muscle, flexibility, quietness, and biocompatibility. Actuators based on the new polymer material enable the design of robotic systems that interact with people, such as assistive prosthesis or assistive devices for people with disability, humanoid robots for elderly in-home care, and surgical robots to save lives. The material can also be used for industrial automation for increased production efficiency. This project includes significant outreach and educational activities. It will provide summer research intern opportunities for under-represented minority high school students each year. Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the proposed research to gain hands-on research experience, as well as analytical, communication, and inter-personal skills.