Review of Dielectric elastomer based application for Soft robotics

Abstract

Soft robotics is a growing field that is getting more and more attention. Unlike traditional rigid robots, soft robots have a simpler structure and control logic, a simple electric voltage change can activate the whole control system, with the capability of carrying out more complex tasks at the same time. Dielectric elastomer is thought to be a fundamental technology advancing the development of soft robots, with the advantages of fast response, great stretch capacity as well as resilience, less weight and higher energy density. Dielectric elastomer technology has many practical applications, such as grippers, robots on ground, swimming robots, artificial body tissues and so-called artificial muscles. In this paper, we mainly introduce the state-of-art application of Dielectric elastomer in the soft robotics field and also discuss the challenges that the DE-based soft robotics are encountering.