Wireless Soft Actuator Based on Liquid-Gas Phase Transition Controlled by Millimeter-Wave Irradiation

Soichiro Ueno; Yasuaki Monnai

RA-L 202020 citations

Wireless Soft Actuator Based on Liquid-Gas Phase Transition Controlled by Millimeter-Wave Irradiation

Abstract

We propose a wireless soft actuator controlled thermally by millimeter-wave irradiation. The actuator is composed of low boiling point liquid sealed in a soft bellows. By irradiating high-power millimeter-waves, the liquid can be evaporated to generate a strong mechanical force. We characterize the force and work extracted from the bellows as a function of the liquid volume and temperature. We then demonstrate the wireless actuation by irradiating a millimeter-wave on the bellows. We also evaluate its dynamic response by modulating the millimeter-wave. Our approach provides novel usage and design space of soft actuators.

BibTeX

@inproceedings{ral2020_wirelesssoftactu,
  title = {Wireless Soft Actuator Based on Liquid-Gas Phase Transition Controlled by Millimeter-Wave Irradiation},
  author = {Soichiro Ueno and Yasuaki Monnai},
  booktitle = {RA-L 2020},
  year = {2020}
}