Magnetically controlled bio-inspired elastomeric actuators with high mechanical energy storage

Lalegani Dezaki, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5680-1550 and Bodaghi, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0707-944X, 2023. Magnetically controlled bio-inspired elastomeric actuators with high mechanical energy storage. Soft Matter. ISSN 1744-683X

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Abstract

Many biological systems are made to operate more quickly, efficiently, and with more power by storing elastic energy. This work introduces a straightforward bioinspired design for the quick manufacture of pre-stressed soft magnetic actuators. The actuator requires a lower magnetic field strength to be activated and can regain its original shape without the need for external stimuli. These characteristics are demonstrated in this work through the creation of actuators with round and helical shape structures inspired by the tendril plant and chameleon's tongue. Both the final form of the actuator and its actuation sequence may be programmed by controlling the direction and strength of the force utilised to pre-stress the elastomeric layer. Analytical models are presented to trace the actuators' energy storage, radius, and pitch. High-speed shape recovery after releasing the magnetic force and a strong grasping force are achieved due to the stored mechanical elastic energy. Experiments are conducted to analyse the shape changes, grasping action, and determine the actuation force. The manufacture of the grippers with zero-magnetic field strength holding capacities of up to 20 times their weight is made possible by the elastic energy that actuators store in their pre-stressed elastomeric layer. The outcomes of our research show that a unique magnetic field-controlled soft actuator can be created in different shapes and designs based on requirements.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Soft Matter
Creators:	Lalegani Dezaki, M. and Bodaghi, M.
Publisher:	Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date:	31 March 2023
ISSN:	1744-683X
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1039/d3sm00266g DOI 1751469 Other
Rights:	© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2023. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	18 Apr 2023 11:18
Last Modified:	18 Apr 2023 11:18
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/48768

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