New ferroelectric materials could give robots muscle
According to researchers from Penn State, a new ferroelectric polymer is a promising high-performance \”actuator\”, capable of controlling motions in advanced robotics and precision positioning systems.
The mechanical strain of a material, or how it changes shape in response to an external force, such as electrical energy, is a key property of an actuator. These actuator materials have traditionally been rigid. However, soft actuators, such as ferrroelectric plastics, are more flexible and adaptable to the environment.
This research showed that ferroelectric nanocomposites can overcome the limitations of piezoelectric polymer materials. It also opened up a new avenue for developing soft actuators which have improved mechanical energy density and strain performance. Robotics researchers are particularly interested in soft actuators due to their strength, power and flexible.
Source:
https://phys.org/news/2023-06-ferroelectric-material-robots-muscles.html
