Hajiesmaili Ehsan, Larson Natalie M, Lewis Jennifer A, Clarke David R
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Sci Adv. 2022 Jul 15;8(28):eabn9198. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn9198.
Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are among the fastest and most energy-efficient, shape-morphing materials. To date, their shapes have been controlled using patterned electrodes or stiffening elements. While their actuated shapes can be analyzed for prescribed configurations of electrodes or stiffening elements (the forward problem), the design of DEAs that morph into target shapes (the inverse problem) has not been fully addressed. Here, we report a simple analytical solution for the inverse design and fabrication of programmable shape-morphing DEAs. To realize the target shape, two mechanisms are combined to locally control the actuation magnitude and direction by patterning the number of local active layers and stiff rings of varying shapes, respectively. Our combined design and fabrication strategy enables the creation of complex DEA architectures that shape-morph into simple target shapes, for instance, those with zero, positive, and negative Gaussian curvatures as well as complex shapes, such as a face.
介电弹性体致动器（DEA）是速度最快、最节能的形状变形材料之一。迄今为止，它们的形状一直通过图案化电极或加强元件来控制。虽然可以针对电极或加强元件的规定配置（正向问题）分析它们的致动形状，但尚未完全解决使DEA变形为目标形状的设计问题（逆向问题）。在此，我们报告了一种用于可编程形状变形DEA逆向设计和制造的简单解析解决方案。为了实现目标形状，分别通过对局部活性层的数量和不同形状的刚性环进行图案化，将两种机制结合起来以局部控制致动幅度和方向。我们的组合设计和制造策略能够创建复杂的DEA架构，使其变形为简单的目标形状，例如具有零高斯曲率、正高斯曲率和负高斯曲率的形状以及复杂形状（如人脸）。
