Electroactive polymers applied to haptics

该项目的目的是通过创造三项技术来扩大我们与电子设备交互的手段：(1)透明且可伸缩的触敏薄膜，其可因离子运动而产生电信号；(2)可伸展且透明的电容式接近传感器；以及(3)旨在提供局部振动或纹理反馈的轻薄、可弯曲的触觉反馈显示器。这些界面将是薄膜，柔软、灵活，几乎适合任何表面。大学团队正在将他们在聚合物人造肌肉、快速原型/替代微制造、低功率电子、信号处理和触觉方面的专业知识与合作伙伴的低功率电子、移动设备和医疗设备技术结合起来，在人与设备交互方面创造新的方法和可能性。在传感方面，我们探索了两种新的方法，这两种方法都使用柔软但坚韧的凝胶膜作为离子导电层，这些层也是可拉伸和高度透明的。触觉界面采用导电聚合物三层技术，旨在实现可感知的位移和力的产生。在过去十年中，导电聚合物致动器的进步显著提高了性能，而建模使模拟和改进的控制成为可能。因此，我们相信这些执行器已经准备好用于能够利用其低电压和高功率比的设备中。

The aim of this project is to expand our means of interacting with electronic devices by creating three technologies: (1) transparent and stretchable touch-sensitive films that generate an electrical signal due to ion motion, (2) stretchable and transparent capacitive proximity sensors and (3) thin, bendable tactile feedback displays that are intended to provide localized vibration or textural feedback. These interfaces will be thin films, soft, flexible and conformable to virtually any surface. The university team are combining their expertise in polymer artificial muscle, rapid prototyping/alternative micro-fabrication, low-power electronics, signal processing and haptics with the low power electronics, mobile device and medical device know-how of the partner to create new approaches and possibilities in human-device interaction. On the sensing side we explore two new approaches both using soft but tough gel films as ionically conductive layers that are also stretchable and highly transparent. Tactile interfaces employ conducting polymer trilayer technology that is intended to enable perceptible displacements and forces to be generated. Advances in conducting polymer actuators over the past ten years have substantially improved performance, while modeling has enabled simulation and improved control. Thus we believe these actuators are ready for use in devices that can take advantage of their low voltage and high work to volume.