Self-Assembled 3D Actuator Using the Resilience of an Elastomeric Material.

Naoki Hashimoto,Hiroki Shigemune,Shingo Maeda,Hideyuki Sawada,Ayato Minaminosono

doi:10.3389/frobt.2019.00152

Naoki Hashimoto, Hiroki Shigemune + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2019.00152

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Abstract

Self-folding technologies have been studied by many researchers for applications to various engineering fields. Most of the self-folding methods that use the physical properties of materials require complex preparation, and usually take time to complete. In order to solve these problems, we focus on the elasticity of a material, and propose a model for forming a 3D structure using its characteristics. Our proposed model achieves high-speed and high-precision self-folding with a simple structure, by attaching rigid frames to a stretchable elastomer. The self-folded structure is applied to introduce a self-assembled actuator by exploiting a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA). We develop the self-assembled actuator driven with the voltage application by attaching stretchable electrodes on the both side of the elastomer. We attempt several experiments to investigate the basic characteristics of the actuator. We also propose an application of the self-assembled actuator as a gripper based on the experimental results. The gripper has three joints with the angle of 120°, and successfully grabs objects by switching the voltage.

Highlights

A technology of “origami” that creates a 3D structure by folding a flat sheet such as a paper and a metal plate has been studied by many researchers
We propose a self-folding method using the characteristics of the elastomeric material
We demonstrate the potential ability of the self-assembled actuator by applying it as a gripper

Summary

Introduction

A technology of “origami” that creates a 3D structure by folding a flat sheet such as a paper and a metal plate has been studied by many researchers. Space structures (Torisaka et al, 2016), solar cell arrays (Natori et al, 2013), protein origami (Dobson, 2003), and folding of insect wings (Saito et al, 2017) are the successful applications of origami studies. The research on self-folding mechanism has been actively conducted by utilizing physical properties of materials. Examples of such prior studies are found in heatshrinkable polymer (Liu et al, 2012, 2017; Felton et al, 2014) and paper (Shigemune et al, 2016, 2017)

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