A Pocket?Sized Ten?Channel High Voltage Power Supply for Soft Electrostatic Actuators

As soft electrostatic actuators find applications in bio-inspired robotics, compact and lightweight high voltage electronics that independently address many are required. Here, a pocket-sized, battery-powered, 10-channel power supply (HVPS) is presented, which addresses each channel up to 10 kV. The HVPS uses one HV amplifier create rail output connects the via custom optocouplers pulse-width modulated vary their conductance. These distribute charges from devices at output, creating charge-controlled driving scheme can generate independent nearly arbitrary actuation waveforms for channel. weighs 250 g measures 8.4 cm × 13.3 2 cm, about size of smartphone. characterized when hydraulically amplified self-healing (HASEL) actuators. While powering 5 nF actuator, reaches 8 kV 100 ms drives 1.5 actuator Hz (0 5.4 kV). powers an active surface consisting array HASELs generates undulatory locomotion robotic inchworm, highlighting potential multi-degree-of-freedom systems based on devices.