Miniaturized Dielectric Elastomer Switch with the Potential as Bricks of Cooperative Multi-Actuator System

Abstract:
Collaborative multi-actuator systems will become important in future applications such as robotics, medical devices, and advanced user interfaces. Combining several multi-functional dielectric elastomers (DEs) with Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic actuators (HASELs), enable multi-actuator networks that combine HASEL’s performance and DE’s multifunctionality. The core to multifunction DEs are dielectric elastomer switches (DESs). These devices enable signal processing capabilities, directly embedded into soft circuitry. In this contribution, we present the application basic DE-circuitry, to combine and intrinsically control multiple DE actuator-DE switch (DEA-DES) unit cells. We raise a mathematical model for such unit cells and networks capable of complex actuation tasks. We predict the multiple outputs of a single input pulse voltage for a highly integrated inverter system through simulation and present first experimental result, to proof the model.