EurekAlert June 16, 2021
Researchers at the University of Colorado exploited the principles of spiders’ joints to drive articulated robots without any bulky components and connectors. The Electrohydraulic Soft-actuated joints (SES) joints comprised of both rigid and softer elements can be used in many different configurations. The joints use electrostatic forces to locally pressurize a hydraulic fluid, and cause flexion of a segmented structure. SES joints with rotation angles up to 70° blocked torques up to 70 mN m, and specific torques up to 21 N m kg−1 have been demonstrated. SES joints demonstrated high speed operation, with measured roll-off frequencies up to 24 Hz and specific power as high as 230 W kg−1—similar to human muscle. The versatility of these devices was illustrated by combining SES joints to create a bidirectional joint, an artificial limb with independently addressable joints, and a compliant gripper…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Principles of spider-inspired electrohydraulic soft-actuated (SES) joints…. Credit: Advanced Science, 29 May 2021Â