Electroactive-Polymer Actuators With Selectable Deformations

Efforts are underway to develop compact, lightweight electro-mechanical actuators based on electroactive polymers (EAPs). An actuator of this type is denoted an electroactive-polymer actuator with selectable deformation (EAPAS). The basic building blocks of these actuators are sandwich-like composite-material strips, containing EAP layers plus electrode layers, that bend when electric potentials are applied to the electrodes. Prior NASA Tech Briefs articles that have described such building blocks as parts of actuators for specific purposes include “Robot Hands With Electroactive-Polymer Fingers” (NPO-20103), Vol. 22, No. 10, (October 1998), page 78; “Robot Arm Actuated by Electroactive Polymers” (NPO-20393), Vol. 23, No. 6 (June 1999), page 12b; “Wipers Based on Electroactive Polymeric Actuators” (NPO-20371), Vol. 23, No. 2 (February 1999), page 7b; and “Miniature Electroactive-Polymer Rakes” (NPO-20613), Vol. 25, No. 10 (October 2001), page 6b.