An external disturbance sensor for ionic polymer metal composite actuators

Abstract

Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) is a fast-growing type of smart material with a wide range of applications. IPMC has been used extensively as an actuator, but for effective usage, one must add a self-sensing ability to it. Two common self-sensing techniques are mechanical-to-electrical transducer and surface resistance. The first one cannot be used while the actuator is running, and the second one needs a sample modification. In this work, we present a new self-sensing method, which can measure external disturbance in the presence of actuator voltage without any sample modification. The resistance across an IPMC sample follows Ohm’s law at sufficiently high frequency. We exploit the frequency dependency of the resistance across the sample to design the self-sensing method. In this technique a function generator, a lock-in amplifier and an isolation circuit were employed to measure an external impulse or steady disturbance. As implementing this technique does not require any change to the IPMC specimen or electrical connection (hanger), it can be added to any existing electroactive device.