Implementation of the Biological Muscle Mechanism in HASEL Actuators to Leverage Electrohydraulic Principles and Create New Geometries

Levi Tynan,Upul Gunawardana,Gaetano D Gargiulo,Ganesh Naik

doi:10.3390/act10020038

Levi Tynan, Upul Gunawardana + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/act10020038

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Abstract

Biomimicry is a field of research that uses the functional and structural components of nature, at macroscopic and microscopic scales, to inspire solutions to problems in our industrial world. Soft robotics is an area of research that uses biomimicry, in this case, mimicking skeletal muscles (referred to in this field as “muscle-mimicking actuators”, to perform task of high difficulty, that can be operated in a harmlessly in different environments. One of the most recent advancements to develop from this field is the “Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatics (HASEL) actuator”. However, this method also brings many of the issues associated with the geometry of its design, especially with respect to the efficiency of the system. Though this system mimics the functionality of the skeletal muscle, there is room to adjust the existing electrostatic mechanisms, that distribute the locally produced force, to mimic the structure of the mechanism that distributes the force to the skeletal muscular, which is also locally produced. In this paper, we show that the current electrostatic parallel electrodes, as well as the zipping mechanisms, can be replaced with the sliding mechanism. This eliminates issues associated with compartmentalizing of the primary electrostatic force and the secondary hydraulic forces leading to a more efficient and controlled transmission electrostatic and hydrostatic forces to the load compared to current iterations and their geometric components.

Highlights

Though in its relative infancy, HASEL (Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatics) actuators have overcome many of the challenges in the field of soft robotics, coupling hydraulic, and electrostatic forces, which are the driving forces for two existing methods of soft actuation, fluidic actuator and dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA), respectively [1,2,3,4,5,6], getting us one step closer to seeing soft robotics implemented into robotics on a worldwide scale
When we look at all the designs of the actuators (Figures 1–5) under “free strain”, which is the maximum strain the actuator can achieve under no load conditions [3,4], we can observe that the electrostatics and hydraulic forces have been compartmentalized into two separate geometrical sites, which are identical in geometry, for both the parallel plate and the zip mechanism (Figure 7); it can be named the unintegrated electrohydraulic design
We propose a new mechanism, known as the sliding mechanism, inspired by the structure of biological muscle fibers on a microscopic scale

Summary

Introduction

Though in its relative infancy, HASEL (Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatics) actuators have overcome many of the challenges in the field of soft robotics, coupling hydraulic, and electrostatic forces, which are the driving forces for two existing methods of soft actuation, fluidic actuator and dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA), respectively [1,2,3,4,5,6], getting us one step closer to seeing soft robotics implemented into robotics on a worldwide scale This is important because advancements towards soft robotics, mimicking organic life, means that machines can become less dangers to the wider community. Advancements in this field require research into new mechanisms that allow us to change the geometry of the design structure and leverage electrohydraulic principles

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Discussion

Conclusion