Modeling a soft robotic mechanism articulated with dielectric elastomer actuators

In this paper, a translational actuation mechanism in

the form of a parallel-crank mechanism (i.e. double-crank 4-bar

mechanism) articulated with two dielectric elastomer actuators

working in parallel are fabricated. This structure, which is a fully

soft mechanism, is established by stretching a dielectric elastomer

(DE) film over a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) frame so that

the energy released from the stretched DE film is stored in the

frame as bending energy. The mechanism generates a

translational output under a driving voltage applied between two

electrodes of the DE film. The visco-elastic models are proposed

for the mechanism so that the mechanical properties of the

actuator can more accurately be incorporated into the

mechanism model. The proposed model accurately predicts the

experimental frequency response of the mechanism at different

voltages.