Miniature Electroactive-Polymer Rakes

Miniature electroactive-polymer rakes (MEARs) are undergoing development for eventual use as simple, lightweight, inexpensive low-power-consumption devices that would remove soil, dust, and/or other loose particulate matter from the surfaces of solid objects. In the original intended application, MEARs is being sought for use, in exploration of remote planets, to expose surfaces of rocks for examination by video cameras and/or other optoelectronic instruments. MEARs could also be used in similar remote-control geological exploration on Earth.