Flexible electrostatic sensor using dielectric elastomer

Abstract

Soft robots have a possibility to open up the coexisting society. For adapting external environment, Soft robots need sensing function of its strain or external force. The Dielectric elastomer sensors (DES) can sense large strain and consists of flexible elastomer, sandwiched two flexible electrodes. The construction of the DES is same as Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). If communization of sensor and actuator is realized, the mechanisms of the Soft robot become simply. Herein we made a DES by using materials same as DEA. In the first experiment, the DES sensed strain of 40% maximum. We assumed that the path of the electrode was broken in the strain of 40%. Therefore, we made the electrodes after we applied the pre-stretch to the elastomer. In the result, the DES sensed the strain of 80%. We succeeded in improving the sensor's performance and noticed the importance of the pre-stretch.