Electroelastomer rolls and their application for biomimetic walking robots

Electroelastomers (also called dielectric elastomer artificial muscles) have been shown to exhibit up to 380% electrically-driven strain. Their elastic energy density and power output compare favorably with natural muscles. A variety of actuator configurations have been developed for a variety of important applications including linear actuation, fluidic control, and flat panel speakers. In particular, spring rolls are compact, have a potentially high electroelastomer-to-structure weight ratio, and can be configured to actuate in several ways, including axial extension, bending, and as multiple degree-of-freedom actuators. They combine load bearing, actuation, and sensing functions. Simulation and robot fabrication have produced six-legged robots, using a spring roll as each of the robots' legs, that can run and clear obstacle.