Soft pumps for robots and wearables (Conference Presentation)

Vito Cacucciolo; Jun Shintake; Yu Kuwajima; Shingo Maeda; Dario Floreano; Herbert Shea

doi:10.1117/12.2558595

24 April 2020 Soft pumps for robots and wearables (Conference Presentation)

Vito Cacucciolo, Jun Shintake, Yu Kuwajima, Shingo Maeda, Dario Floreano, Herbert Shea

Proceedings Volume 11375, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXII; 113750U (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2558595
Event: SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, 2020, Online Only

Abstract

Fluids functions range from thermal management in buildings to blood circulation in animals. To date the use of fluids in soft and wearable robots has been limited by the need for hard and noisy external pumps. Here we report soft pumps, a class of electrically-driven pumps with an entirely flexible or even stretchable body. These pumps rely on ElectroHydroDynamics, a solid-state mechanism that accelerates liquid molecules using electric fields, resulting in silent bi-directional operation. These elastomer pumps can be integrated into untethered soft robots, soft exoskeletons driven by fluidic muscles, and smart textiles with active temperature management.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Vito Cacucciolo, Jun Shintake, Yu Kuwajima, Shingo Maeda, Dario Floreano, and Herbert Shea "Soft pumps for robots and wearables (Conference Presentation)", Proc. SPIE 11375, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXII, 113750U (24 April 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2558595

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available