Abstract
This paper describes the development of slender millimeter-size hollow (tube) and sub-millimeter-size solid (rod) shaped ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators. The outer electrodes on the IPMC actuators are sectored to enable control for multiple degrees of freedom motion. Such small-size slender (high aspect ratio) IPMC actuators can be used to create active catheter devices, bio-inspired propulsion mechanisms in underwater autonomous systems, artificial cilia structures for micro-fluidic devices, and other emerging soft mechatronic systems. An experimental tube-shaped IPMC actuator is fabricated from Nafion polymer tube with inner and outer diameters of 1.3 and 1.6 mm, respectively. Likewise, the fabrication of a sub-millimeter size square cross-section rod IPMC actuator is described, with dimensions of 150 μm by 150 μm and 500 μm by 500 μm. The outer surface of the IPMC actuators are plated with platinum metal via an electroless plating process. The platinum plating is sectored into four isolated electrodes using a custom surface milling technique. Independent control of the patterned electrodes on the outer surface of the tube results in three-dimensional motion. A strain sensor is developed and integrated with the tube-shaped IPMC to sense the bending motion of the actuator as an example of its functionality. The integrated sensor is low cost and avoids the need for bulky external sensors such as lasers for measuring deflection. Thus, the sensor can be employed in practical applications including feedback control. The actuators are characterized and experimental results are presented to demonstrate performance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Shahinpoor M, Kim K (2004) Ionic polymer-metal composites: IV. Industrial and medical applications. Smart Mater Struct 14:197
Shankar R, Ghosh T, Spontak R (2007) Dielectric elastomers as next-generation polymeric actuators. Soft Matter 3:1116
Fleming AJ, Leang KK (2014) Design, modeling and control of nanopositioning systems. Springer, New York
Feng G, Tsai J (2011) 3D omnidirectional controllable elastic IPMC tweezer with self-sensing and adjustable clamping force abilities for biomedical applications. In Proceedings of transducers ‘11. pp 1725–1728
Kamamichi N, Yamakita M, Asaka K, Luo ZW (2006) A snake-like swimming robot using IPMC actuator/sensor. In: Proceedings of conference on robotics and automation. Orlando, Florida, pp 1812–1817
Arena P, Bonomo C, Fortuna L, Frasca M, Graziani S (2007) Design and control of an IPMC wormlike robot. Cybernetics 36:1044–1052
Nguyen T, Goo N, Nguyen V, Yoo Y, Park S (2008) Design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of a flap valve IPMC micropump with a flexibly supported diaphragm. Sens Actuators A Phys 141:640–648
Chen Z, Shatara S, Tan X (2010) Modeling of biomimetic robotic fish propelled by an ionic polymer-metal composite caudal fin. IEEE/ASME Trans Mechatron 15:448–459
Palmre V, Fleming M, Hubbard JJ, Pugal D, Kim S, Kim KJ, Leang KK (2013) An IPMC-enabled bio-inspired bending/twisting fin for underwater applications. Smart Mater Struct 22:014003
Kruusamae K, Brunetto P, Graziani S, Punning A, Di Pasquale G, Aabloo A (2009) Self-sensing ionic polymer-metal composite actuating device with patterned surface electrodes. Polym Int 59(3):300–304
Tiwari R, Kim KJ (2010) Disc-shaped ionic polymer metal composites for use in mechano-electrical applications. Smart Mater Struct 19:065016
Fang BK, Ju MS, Lin CCK (2007) A new approach to develop ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) actuator: fabrication and control for active catheter systems. Sens Actuators 137(2):321–329
Kim SJ, Pugal D, Wong J, Kim KJ, Yim W (2013) A bio-inspired multi degree of freedom actuator based on a novel cylindrical ionic polymer-metal composite material. Rob Auton Syst 62(1):53–60
Kim KJ, Pugal D, Leang KK (2011) A twistable ionic polymer-metal composite artificial muscle for marine applications. Mar Technol Soc J 45(4):83
Fleming MJ, Kim KJ, Leang KK (2012) Mitigating IPMC back relaxation through feedforward and feedback control of patterned electrodes. Smart Mater Struct 21:085002 (12 pages)
Fang BK, Lin CC, Ju MS (2010) Development of sensing/actuating ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) for active guide-wire system. Sens Actuators A Phys 158:1–9
Leang K, Shan Y, Song S, Kim K (2012) Integrated sensing for IPMC actuators using strain gages for underwater applications. IEEE/ASME Trans Mechatron 17(2):345–355
Lei H, Tan X (2014) A novel tubular thin-wall IPMC sensor capable of two-dimensional sensing: fabrication, characterization, and modeling. In: Proceedings of the ASME 2014 conference on smart materials, adaptive structures and intelligent systems (SMASIS2014-7594)
Shahinpoor M, Kim KJ (2001) Ionic polymer-metal composites: I. fundamentals. Smart Mater Struct 10:819
Nemat-Nasser S (2002) Micromechanics of actuation of ionic polymer-metal composites. J Appl Phys 92(5):2899–2915
Hubbard JL, Fleming M, Palmre V, Pugal D, Kim KJ, Leang KK (2014) Monolithic IPMC fins for propulsion and maneuvering in bio-inspired underwater robotics. J Oceanic Eng 39(3)
Nemat-Nasser S (2003) Comparative experimental study of ionic polymer-metal composites. J Appl Phys 93(9):5255–5267
Acknowledgments
Authors acknowledge financial support from the Office of Naval Research, Grant Number N00014-13-1-0274.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tsugawa, M.A., Palmre, V., Carrico, J.D. et al. Slender tube-shaped and square rod-shaped IPMC actuators with integrated sensing for soft mechatronics. Meccanica 50, 2781–2795 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-015-0218-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-015-0218-9