Balloon dielectric elastomer actuator speaker

Modeling of a Dielectric Elastomer Bender Actuator

The current smallest self-contained modular robot uses a shape memory alloy, which is inherently inefficient, slow and difficult to control. We present the design, fabrication and demonstration of a module based on dielectric elastomer actuation. The module uses a pair of bowtie dielectric elastomer actuators in an agonist-antagonist configuration and is seven times smaller than previously demo...

Nonlinear oscillation of a dielectric elastomer balloon

Much of the existing literature on dielectric elastomers has focused on quasi-static deformation. However, in some potential applications, the elastomer deforms at high frequencies and undergoes nonlinear oscillation. While nonlinear oscillation has been studied in many areas of science and engineering, we are unaware of any theoretical analysis of nonlinear oscillation of dielectric elastomers...

Fully printed 3 microns thick dielectric elastomer actuator

In this work we present a new fabrication technique to print thin dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), reducing the driving voltage below 300 V while keeping good actuation performance. With operation voltages in the kV-range, standard DEAs are limited in terms of potential applications. Using thinner membranes is one of the few existing methods to achieve lower operation voltages. Typical DE...

Dielectric elastomer actuator for mechanical loading of 2D cell cultures.

We demonstrate the use of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) for mechanical stimulation of cells in vitro. The development of living tissues is regulated by their mechanical environment through the modification of fundamental cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation and gene expression. Mechanical cues have been linked to numerous pathological conditions, and progress in cel...

Dielectric Elastomers Conductive Elastomer Insulating Elastomer