In order to exhaustively exploit the high-level capabilities of shape memory alloys (SMAs), they must be applied in control systems applications. However, because of their hysteretic inherent, dilatory response, and nonlinear behavior, scientists are thwarted in their attempt to design controllers for actuators of such kind.  The current study aims at developing a micro-position control system ...

This thesis presents a new actuator system consisting of a micro-actuator and a macroactuator coupled in parallel via a compliant transmission. The system is called the Parallel Coupled Micro-Macro Actuator, or PaCMMA. In this system, the micro-actuator is capable of high bandwidth force control due to its low mass and direct-drive connection to the output shaft. The compliant transmission of t...

New pneumatic actuators developed in the author's laboratory will be presented with their applications to new mechatronics. Examples of them are a pneumatic rubber actuator for compliant robots, a micro pneumatic tube actuator assisting the colonscope insertion, a pneumatic stepping motor with high torque and resolution, a pneumatic drive bicycle, an intelligent pneumatic cylinder which has enc...

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a novel piezoelectric actuator for a gas micro pump with check valve having the advantages of miniature size, light weight and low power consumption. The micro pump is designed to have eight major components, namely a stainless steel upper cover layer, a piezoelectric actuator, a stainless steel diaphragm, a PDMS chamber layer, two stainless ste...

Growing need for a variety of micro electro-mechanical systems necessitates advances in manufacturing technologies for high volume production at low cost. In this study, a mechanical micro pump actuator will be modelled using MEMS module of COMSOL simulation tool. The micro pump actuator will be based on bimetallic actuation which in-turn is based on the difference in the thermal expansion coef...

This paper aims to understand how a micro synthetic jet actuator works effectively to prevent the boundary layer flow from laminar separation aused by adverse pressure gradient. Experimental results showed that synthetic jets were effective when the forcing frequency was a lower frequency f the Tollmien–Schlichting (T–S) wave, which received amplification from the base flow. They demonstrated t...

The Mimosa Pudica is an action plant that closes its leaves when given a stimulus. The plant integrates both sensing and actuating mechanisms, and the distinctive motion is about a hinge-like point, the pulvinus, making the characterization of the motion attractive. In this project, experiments were set up to measure the characteri stics of the plants in the goal to estimate the possibility to ...

In this paper a new soft actuator based on dielectric elastomer is proposed. The actuator, called ANTagonistically-driven Linear Actuator(ANTLA) has the musclelike characteristics capable of performing the motions such as forward/backward/controllable compliance. Due to its simplicity of configuration and ease of fabrication, it has the advantages to be scale– independently implemented in meso–...