| title: | Electroactive polymer devices and their control |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF6765 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
2.2. Materials Science 2.9. System Engineering and Computer Technology |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | Tartu University Institute of Technology |
| head of project: | Maarja Kruusmaa |
| duration: | 01.01.2006 - 31.12.2009 |
| description: | Electroactive polymers (EAP) are materials that change their shape or size in response to electrical stimulation. The properties of EAPs are rather similar to biological muscles in terms of force, strain and speed and therefore these materials are an attractive technology to substitute electomechanical actuators and do build biologically inspired devices. This research proposal is concerned with applications of EAP materials. We mainly focus on using ion-conductive polymers, namely various types of IPMCs. The efficiency of IMPC actuators can be increased in several complementary ways: first, by developing a better understanding of the theory of electroactive materials. Second, by developing IPMC actuators with better properties, third, by designing more sophisticated actuators (e.g., bundles of artificial muscles) that are more powerful and permit more complicated motion; third, by developing control methods that permit more efficient use of the actuators. This research proposal aims at working in all these directions of IMPC development. The main research goals are the following: G1. Develop of IPMC materials with the better long-term stability G2. Computer simulations of IPMC actuators. G3. Design of novel EAP actuators that are more efficient and powerful; G4. Development of position sensors for a single EAP actuator; G5. Development of new control methods of EAP actuators to achieve less energy consumption. G6. Develop feedback control methods for EAP actuators; G7. Design of self-contained EAP actuators and proof-of-concept devices. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Mart Anton | |||
| 2. | Kristo Heero | |||
| 3. | Urmas Johanson | |||
| 4. | Heiki Kasemägi | |||
| 5. | Maarja Kruusmaa | Tartu Ülikooli Tehnoloogiainstituut | ||
| 6. | Erik Lenz | |||
| 7. | Madis Listak | |||