Electroactive artificial muscles: a constructive approach towards real-field soft robotics

Abstract

Electroactive artificial muscles has drawn special attention for potential engineering applications, such as biomedical active devices, haptic-feedback systems, wearable soft electronics, and soft micro-robotics. However in the field of bioinspired soft robotics, to accomplish sophisticated tasks as human fingers, electroactive artificial muscles are under development. Because, most of the exiting soft actuators show lack of high bending displacements with irregular response characteristics under low input voltages due to instabilities of active electrode materials under operation. This situation necessitates for the development of totally brand new functional electrode materials with enormous stability under prolonged electro-chemical exposures. The developed electrode materials based on pre-designed functional covalent organic frameworks and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) show promising actuation characteristics under low electric stimuli towards real-field soft robotics. The proposed artificial muscles can readily be operated on fragile display to make a soft touch similar to real human finger and can successfully accomplishes precise sophisticated tasks such as controlling personal folders and swiping pages of online books, and playing music apps.