Abstract
The paper proposes a novel 3D-printed hybrid finger embedding ECF (electro-conjugate fluid) micropumps inspired from the hydraulic mechanism of spider legs. Two integrated ECF micropumps control two bellows-like joints respectively through fluidic channels built in the finger to realize the compliant motion with 2 DOFs (degree-of-freedom). Instead of the traditional CNC machining, molding and multiple manual assembly, the 3D printing technology of hybrid-material (hard and soft material) is utilized to fabricate our hybrid finger, which consists of (a) one monolithic body with the combination of a finger body base covered with rubber sheets and two bellows-like joints, (b) three finger body covers combined with rubber sheets, solving the annoying problems related to the complicated machining, the elaborate molding, and the delicate assembly and interfacing of soft and hard components. The ECF micropump with TPSEs (triangular prism & slit electrode pairs) was designed and fabricated by the MEMS process based on the micro-molding with thick photoresist and nickel electroplating. Characteristics experiments including output pressure and output flow rate measurement demonstrated that the fabricated ECF micropump had high output power density. The hybrid finger with ECF micropumps was successfully realized and its driving experiments validated the feasibility of our concept.
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