Abstract
Electroadhesion (EA) is an electrically controllable adhesion mechanism that has been studied and used in fields including active adhesion and attachment, robotic gripping, robotic crawling and climbing, and haptics, for over a century. This is because EA technologies, compared to other existing adhesion solutions, facilitate systems with enhanced adaptability (EA is effective on a wide of range of materials and surfaces), reduced system complexity (EA systems are both mechanically and electrically simpler), low energy consumption, and less-damaging to materials (EA, combined with soft materials, can be used to lift delicate objects). In this survey, we comprehensively detail the working principle, modeling, design, fabrication, characterization, and applications of EA technologies employed in robotics, aiming to provide guidance and offer potential insights for future EA researchers and applicants. Joint and collaborative efforts are still required to promote the in-depth understanding and mature employment of this promising adhesion and gripping technology in various robotic applications.
Highlights
E LECTROADHESION (EA) [1], coined by two Danish scientists, Alfred Johnsen and Knud Rahbek, in the 1910s, has been used to denote the electrostatic attraction between two contacting materials when there is an electrical potential difference between them [2]
The dynamic behavior means that it takes a finite time for the maximum EA force to be generated when the EA system is turned ON, and a finite time for force to decay when the EA system is turned OFF, due to the residual charges trapped in the EA dielectrics [87]
Singh et al [78] demonstrated that EA pads made of bare electrodes were good at releasing rubber gloves quickly, seconds were still needed for most of the results presented and only a limited number of materials were studied
Summary
E LECTROADHESION (EA) [1], coined by two Danish scientists, Alfred Johnsen and Knud Rahbek, in the 1910s, has been used to denote the electrostatic attraction between two contacting materials when there is an electrical potential difference between them [2]. EA is a multidisciplinary, complicated, and dynamic adhesion technology with 33 known variables [24] influencing the electroadhesive forces obtainable between the EA pad and the substrate material These influencing factors include environmental factors, EA electrode parameters, EA dielectric parameters, substrate parameters, and power source parameters [25]. The dynamic nature of the EA phenomenon presents a practical challenge and opens an interesting research topic that requires cost-effective and robust solutions to speed up the EA adhesion and deadhesion processes This is especially important when adhering to relatively heavy or difficult-to-polarize objects or deadhering from extremely lightweight and flexible materials
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