NDLI: Feasibility of Integrating Multiple Types of Electroactive Polymers to Develop an Artificial Human Muscle

Content Provider	The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Digital Collection
Author	William, E. Spath Wayne, W. Walter
Copyright Year	2010
Abstract	Electroactive polymers (EAPs) have been labeled as the future stakeholder for artificial muscle technology and machine actuation. The US Armed Forces have seen an increased population of service members suffering from loss of limbs as a result of conflicts overseas. Civilian populations have suffered as well, due to muscle tissue deterioration brought on by injury or disease. Many prosthetic limbs have been engineered with rotary actuation, but do not mimic fluid motion as human muscles do. Through the research of biomimetics, imitating nature and applying those techniques to technology, electroactive polymers have been found to produce the fluid-like characteristics of biological muscles as needed for precise artificial simulation. These materials exhibit common traits of biological muscle tissue regarding potential energy storage. When activated by an electrical voltage potential, EAPs can produce characteristics such as: bending/axial strain or changes in viscosity. One classification of electroactive polymers, Ionic EAPs, exhibit bipolar activation under low voltages and can be found in various physical states; solid, liquid, and gel states. These characteristics make Ionic EAPs the most attractive materials to be used in low energy or mobile applications, such as exoskeletons and implants. For high strain and large load applications, electronic EAPs can be used. Electronic EAPs require high voltages which induces high rates of strain and large deformations. To date, it appears that various types of EAP materials are being used individually, as opposed to integrated with other types. Biological muscles are made of many different proteins organized in an optimized geometrical structure which yields a more efficient response combined than achieved individually. The focus of the current project is to integrate multiple EAP materials in a designed mechanical system to produce a closer representation of a biological muscle. The status of this RIT project; to design, fabricate, and test an integrated EAP-based artificial muscle will be discussed along with the conceptual thinking for design obtained to date.
Starting Page	661
Ending Page	667
Page Count	7
File Format	PDF
ISBN	9780791844465
DOI	10.1115/IMECE2010-37321
Volume Number	Volume 9: Mechanics of Solids, Structures and Fluids
Conference Proceedings	ASME 2010 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
Language	English
Publisher Date	2010-11-12
Publisher Place	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Subject Keyword	Potential energy Viscosity Artificial limbs Deformation Biological tissues Exoskeleton devices Wounds Machinery Stress Diseases Military personnel and organizations Conducting polymers Design Proteins Fluids Storage Biomimetics Simulation Muscle
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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