Experimental verifications on control and sensing of bucky gel actuator/sensor

Bucky gel actuator is a novel electro-active polymer (EAP), which is a low-voltage driven dry soft actuator. Its device has a bimorph structure with polymer-supported bucky gel electrodes and a polymer-supported ionic gel electrolyte. It can be fabricated by layer-by-layer casting, to form any shape easily. In addition, the bucky gel device generates electromotive force when bending, and then it also can be used as a sensor. Since sensor and actuator functions exist in a same device, flexible and miniature integrated actuator-sensor systems for soft robotics can be constructed easily. In this study, we conduct some experiments to verify the possibility of the bucky gel actuator/sensor. Feedback controls of the actuator are demonstrated and the characteristics of the sensor are investigated. By utilizing both functions of the actuator and the sensor, feedback control based on the sensor signal is demonstrated.