Linear Actuators for a Biped Walking Robot

The basic characteristics of the elementary unit were studied. The IPMC actuator used in the experiment was Nafion plated with gold. A counter cation in the Nafion was sodium. Though the response of the actuator varies depending on its condition, it was confirmed that the unit whose total length is 40 mm is constricted by 10 mm with a step input voltage 

In this ehapter, methods of fabricating IPMC actuator devices and various biomedical applications of IPMC actuators have been described. As examples shown in this chapter, IPMC aetuators have much potential for biomedical and human-affinity applications. Though there still remain some issues that must be solved, IPMC actuators are expected to be used in various practical biomedical applications in the near future. 

Bar-Cohen, Y., Leary, S., Shahinpoor, M., et al. (1999) Electro-active polymer (EAP) actuators for planetary applications. Proceedings of the SPIE conference on Smart Structures and Materials, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices, Newport Beach, 3669, 57-63. 

Fukuda, T. and Asaka, K. (2002) Fish-like underwater microrobot with 3 DOF. Proceedings of the IEEE International conference on Robotics and Automation, 738 3. 

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