Jellyfish-Inspired Soft Robot Driven by Fluid Electrode Dielectric Organic Robotic Actuators

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Bioinspired Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Traditional underwater robots use rigid materials and propellers, leading to high power consumption and noise.
• Existing soft robots often require tethers or complex control systems, limiting their autonomy.
• Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) offer potential for silent, low-power underwater locomotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an untethered, soft swimming robot for underwater exploration.
• To overcome the limitations of power consumption and noise in conventional underwater robots.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using frameless DEAs with fluid electrodes for autonomous propulsion.

Main Methods:

• A unimorph structure was created by attaching frameless DEAs to an inextensible layer, inspired by jellyfish locomotion.
• The robot utilizes a simplified control system for propulsion, generating a power stroke via controlled curvature.
• Untethered swimming was achieved using DEAs with fluid electrodes for power and actuation.

Main Results:

• The soft robot achieved untethered swimming at an average speed of 3.2 mm/s.
• A cost of transport of 35 was recorded, indicating efficient energy usage.
• The DEA-powered robot demonstrated silent operation, suitable for sensitive underwater environments.

Conclusions:

• Frameless DEAs with fluid electrodes enable low-power, silent underwater robotic exploration.
• Jellyfish-inspired design simplifies control and facilitates efficient locomotion in soft robots.
• This approach paves the way for autonomous, bio-mimetic underwater vehicles.