NRI-Small: Multifunctional Electroactive Polymers for Muscle-Like Actuation

NRI-Small：用于类似肌肉驱动的多功能电活性聚合物

• 批准号: 1207975
• 负责人: Qibing Pei
• 金额: $ 38万
• 依托单位: University of California-Los Angeles
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1207975&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NRI; Small; Multifunctional; Electroactive; Polymers

This project aims to develop a new, bistable electroactive polymer that combines large actuation strain and energy density with variable stiffness and bistable deformation. The technical approach of the project involves: (1) synthesizing new polymers comprising interpenetrating polymers network to achieve stable, high-strain actuation; (2) investigating ultrathin carbon nanotube coatings for fault tolerance and enhanced operation reliability; (3) reducing the driving voltages of electroactive polymers to around 200 V by synthesizing new polymers with high dielectric permittivity as well as by developing processing techniques to produce high-quality polymer thin films; and (4) fabricating compact modular actuators that can be readily integrated into robotic systems. The potential transformative technical impact of this project is a radically new actuator material that can reproduce the structural, actuation, and sensing functions of muscles, and can be inserted into a broad range of robotic systems for locomotion and manipulation. This project will develop a new actuator material based on a bistable electroactive polymer that behaves like an artificial muscle, and offers a combination of attributes that future robotic systems demand including power output that outperforms human skeletal muscle, flexibility, quietness, and biocompatibility. Actuators based on the new polymer material enable the design of robotic systems that interact with people, such as assistive prosthesis or assistive devices for people with disability, humanoid robots for elderly in-home care, and surgical robots to save lives. The material can also be used for industrial automation for increased production efficiency. This project includes significant outreach and educational activities. It will provide summer research intern opportunities for under-represented minority high school students each year. Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the proposed research to gain hands-on research experience, as well as analytical, communication, and inter-personal skills.

该项目旨在开发一种新的，可动的电活性聚合物，该聚合物将大型驱动应变和能量密度与可变的刚度和可变形的变形相结合。该项目的技术方法涉及：（1）合成包括互穿聚合物网络的新聚合物，以实现稳定的高材料致动； （2）研究超薄碳纳米管涂料，以实现容错和增强的操作可靠性； （3）通过与高介电介电常数合成新聚合物以及开发加工技术来生产高质量的聚合物薄膜，将电活性聚合物的驱动电压降低至200 V； （4）制造可容易整合到机器人系统中的紧凑型模块化致动器。该项目的潜在变革性技术影响是一种彻底的新执行材料，可以重现肌肉的结构，驱动和感应功能，并且可以插入用于运动和操纵的广泛的机器人系统中。 该项目将基于双重的电活性聚合物开发一种新的执行材料，该材料的表现像人造肌肉，并提供了属性的组合，即未来的机器人系统需求，包括功率输出，胜过人类骨骼肌肉，灵活性，安静，安静和生物相容性。基于新聚合物材料的执行器可以设计与人互动的机器人系统，例如辅助假体或残疾人辅助设备，用于老年人内部护理的人形机器人以及外科机器人以挽救生命。该材料也可以用于工业自动化，以提高生产效率。该项目包括重大的外展和教育活动。 它将为每年代表性不足的少数民族高中学生提供夏季研究实习生的机会。本科生和研究生将参加拟议的研究，以获得动手研究经验以及分析，沟通和人际关系。