LONDON: Researchers have discovered a new resonance phenomenon in a dielectric elastomer rotary joint that can make the artificial joint bend up and down, like a flapping wing.
The new discovery by scientists from Harbin Institute of Technology, China and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has potential in soft robotic applications as lightweight, energy-efficient flapping wings.
Dielectric elastomers are novel materials with soft and lightweight properties, resembling human muscle, that can undergo large active deformations.
This has made dielectric elastomers popular for creating devices such as robotic hands, soft robots, tunable lenses and pneumatic valves.
The study appeared in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
“The dielectric elastomer is a kind of electro-active polymer that can deform if you apply a voltage on it,” said Jianwen Zhao from Harbin Institute of Technology.
