Deformable electrostatic linear motor

• Published in: IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. TExCRA Technical Exhibition Based pp. 27 - 28
• Main Authors: Yamamoto, A., Nishijima, T., Higuchi, T.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2004
• Subjects: Character generation; Electrodes; Electrostatic actuators; Flexible printed circuits; Hydraulic actuators; Polymers; Robots; Stators; Synchronous motors; Voltage
• ISBN: 9780780385641; 0780385640
• DOI: 10.1109/TEXCRA.2004.1424978

This paper describes high-power electrostatic linear motor that is deformable. The motor consists of pairs of flexible printed circuit films. It is characterized by superior output performance; typically, the motor can generate several tens of newtons, or slider speed can exceed 1 m/s. In this paper, we focus on its flexibility. Due to the flexibility of the films used, the motor can be mechanically deformed. On top of that, the motor can even operate while being deformed. Our analyses show that the motor can operate even when it is bent 180 degrees. In this paper, thrust force characteristics of the motor under deformed state are summarized and some examples of motor deformation are shown.