Abstract:
Metal hydride (MH) actuators have a simple structure and a number of features that make them attractive for use in rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology. Th...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
Metal hydride (MH) actuators have a simple structure and a number of features that make them attractive for use in rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology. The MH actuator provides a high power-to-weight ratio, high-strain actuation, human-compatible softness, and noiseless operation, while being environmentally benign. On the other hand, there remain technical challenges to be overcome to improve the MH actuator regarding its speed of operation and energy efficiency, given the low heat conductivity of the MH powder that is used as the pressure generator for soft actuation. To overcome the issues of low heat conductivity and the handling of MH powder, we developed an MH paper, which is a special paper incorporating MH powder and carbon fiber, for use as a new pressure-generating element for a soft MH actuator system. In addition, the basic properties and structure of the proposed MH paper were investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and several thermodynamic experiments. The results of these experiments showed that the hydrogen absorption and desorption rates of the MH paper were significantly higher than those of the MH powder around room temperature.
Published in: 2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)
Date of Conference: 25-29 August 2015
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 05 November 2015
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PubMed ID: 26737365