Electromechanics of solenoid electroribbon actuators

Soft liquid-amplified actuators are an emerging soft actuator that can provide powerful, fast, energy-efficient, lightweight, and robust actuations. Solenoid electroribbon actuators (SERAs) are a new configuration of liquid-amplified actuators and can be easy-to-make and cost-effective direct drives for robotics. Here we use a large deformation thin beam theory to study the fundamental electromechanics of SERAs. We find that: (1) a small dielectric droplet is enough for sufficient actuations; (2) different loading conditions and ring electrode aspect ratios have a large effect on the change of the two deformation modes associated with SERAs; (3) to produce greater actuation strokes, greater aspect ratios are preferred for stretching loads, whereas proper aspect ratios should be considered for compression loads; (4) more stable actuation outputs require small aspect ratios but may bring snap-through instabilities. The model and its numerical results, together with its experimental validations, are useful insights toward optimizing their actuation performances for robotics and beyond.

Automated summary

Soft liquid-amplified actuators are an emerging soft actuator that possess several advantages, such as powerful, fast, energy-efficient, lightweight, and robust actuations. This study investigates the fundamental electromechanics of solenoid electroribbon actuators (SERAs), a new configuration of liquid-amplified actuators. The findings provide insights into optimizing their actuation performances for robotics and beyond.