Robotic Materials

Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing Electrostatic Transducers Harnessing Zipping Mechanism

2022

Patent

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Hydraulically-amplified, self-healing, electrostatic transducers that harness electrostatic and hydraulic forces to achieve various actuation modes. Electrostatic forces between electrode pairs of the transducers generated upon application of a voltage to the electrode pairs draws the electrodes in each pair towards each other to displace a liquid dielectric contained within an enclosed internal cavity of the transducers to drive actuation in various manners. The electrodes and the liquid dielectric form a self-healing capacitor whereby the liquid dielectric automatically fills breaches in the liquid dielectric resulting from dielectric breakdown. Due to the resting shape of the cavity, a zipping-mechanism allows for selectively actuating the electrodes to a desired extent by controlling the voltage supplied.

Author(s): Christoph Matthias Keplinger and Eric Lucas Acome and Nicholas Alexander Kellaris and Shane Karl Mitchell and Timothy G Morrissey
Number (issue): US Patent 11486421B2
Year: 2022
Month: November
Day: 1
Department(s): Robotic Materials
Bibtex Type: Patent (patent)
Paper Type: Patent
URL: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/5c/72/ef/375bd5f0965e46/US11486421.pdf

BibTex 

@patent{PCT-US2022-11486421,
  title = {Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing Electrostatic Transducers Harnessing Zipping Mechanism},
  author = {Keplinger, Christoph Matthias and Acome, Eric Lucas and Kellaris, Nicholas Alexander and Mitchell, Shane Karl and Morrissey, Timothy G},
  number = {US Patent 11486421B2},
  month = nov,
  year = {2022},
  doi = {},
  url = {https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/5c/72/ef/375bd5f0965e46/US11486421.pdf},
  month_numeric = {11}
}