Remnant Magnetisation State Control for Positioning of a Hybrid Tunable Magnet Actuator

The recent development of a hybrid tunable magnet actuator proposes to eliminate Joule heating when maintaining a force or position offset. By controlling the remnant magnetic flux in an AlNiCo magnet within the actuator, the actuation force can be linearly varied and maintained. While a method for tuning the magnetisation state of the magnet...

Comparison of dynamic characteristics of active sensing methods of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC)

Limitations of conventional actuators and sensors in small-scaled and complex devices have diverted the researches' attentions towards smart material transducers such as ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs). In addition to actuation capabilities, IPMCs generate voltage when subjected to mechanical deformation. Utilization of IPMCs as...

Active sensing methods of ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC): Comparative study in frequency domain

Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are soft transducers that bend in response to low-voltage input, and generate voltage in response to deformations. Their potential applications include compliant locomotion systems, small-scale robotics, energy harvesting and biomedical instrumentation. The materials are inherently compliant, simple to...

Sensing and self-sensing actuation methods for Ionic Polymer–Metal Composite (IPMC): A review

Ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMC) are smart material transducers that bend in response to low-voltage stimuli and generate voltage in response to bending. IPMCs are mechanically compliant, simple in construction, and easy to cut into desired shape. This allows the designing of novel sensing and actuation systems, e.g., for soft and bio...

Frequency response of IPMC actuators: Physical characterization and identification for control

Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators have promising applications in robotics and medicine in a not distance future, which will require a big knowledge in different fields, such as, manufacturing, material characterization and control theory. In this paper, frequency response of several IPMC actuators, cut from the same bulk IPMC sheet...

IPMC Kirigami: A distributed actuation concept

Today’s mechatronics relies on conventional transducers, i.e. lumped sensors and actuators with rigid construction. Future consumer products, medical devices and manufacturing processes require sensing and actuation systems with high count and density of individual transducer units. Such systems can be addressed as distributed transducers....