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A Review of Electrically Driven Soft Actuators for Soft Robotics
1Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada.
Micromachines
|November 11, 2022
Summary
This review explores high-performance electrically driven soft actuators for soft robotics. It details actuation principles, compares performance, and highlights applications for building advanced soft machines.
Area of Science:
- Soft robotics
- Actuator technology
- Materials science
Background:
- Soft robotics offers advantages over rigid robots in specific environments.
- Soft actuators are crucial for enabling movement and deformation in soft machines.
- Electrically driven soft actuators are gaining prominence due to their desirable characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review novel and high-performance electrically driven soft actuators.
- To serve as a reference for constructing electrically driven soft machines.
- To provide insights into actuation principles, performance comparisons, and applications.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on electrically driven soft actuators.
- Categorization of actuators based on actuation principles (electro-static, electro-thermal, soft pumps).
- Comparative analysis of actuator performance metrics.
Main Results:
- Detailed overview of electro-static, electro-thermal, and electrically driven soft pump actuators.
- Comprehensive performance comparison highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
- Presentation of diverse and up-to-date applications for each actuator type.
Conclusions:
- Electrically driven soft actuators are key components for advancing soft robotics.
- Understanding actuation principles and performance is vital for actuator selection.
- The reviewed actuators offer solutions for creating versatile and capable soft machines.
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