Preparation and performance analysis of Pt-IPMC for driving bionic tulip

Based on the biological characteristics of tulip,the low driving voltage and fast response of ionic polymer metal composite(IPMC),we analyzed the fabrication,morphology and performance of the platinum IPMC(Pt-IPMC)and selected the right IPMC for driving bionic tulip.The preparation and performance of IPMC was analyzed first in this paper such as blocking force,output displacement and bending angle of IPMC under the different directed current voltage(DC).The optimal IPMC sample size and driving voltage were selected based on tulip blooming angles and the strain energy density of IPMC,which completed the blooming process of bionic tulip.The feasibility of IPMC used in driving bionic field was fully proved in this paper,which laid a foundation for the application of IPMC in driving biomimetic biological robots.

The Development of a Venus Flytrap Inspired Soft Robot Driven by IPMC

In recent years,more and more creatures in nature have become the source of inspiration for people to study bionic soft robots.Many such robots appear in the public’s vision.In this paper,a Venus flytrap robot similar to the biological Venus flytrap in appearance was designed and prepared.It was mainly cast by Polydimethylsiloxane(PDMs)and driven by the flexible material of Ionic Polymer Metal Composites(IPMCs).Combining with ANSYS and related experiments,the appropriate voltage and the size of IPMC were determined.The results showed that the performance of the Venus flytrap robot was the closest to the biological Venus flytrap when the size of IPMC length,width and driving voltage reach to 3 cm,1 cm and 5.5 V,respectively.Moreover,the closing speed and angle reached 8.22°/s and 37°,respectively.Finally,the fly traps also could be opened and closed repeatedly and captured a small ball with a mass of 0.3 g firmly in its middle and tip.