Development of a soft actuator using a photocurable ionic gel

We have developed a photocurable ionic gel for fabricating soft actuators driven at low voltage in air. A prototype actuator was produced and driven by applying a voltage of below ± 1.5 V in air. The driving performance of the actuator was examined experimentally. The maximum displacement of the actuator was proportional to the input voltage under 1.1 V and the real-time displacement of the actuator was proportional to the integrated value of the applied current. This feature is of potential use in precise real-time position control of actuators. Finally we fabricated a microgripper using two ionic gel actuators, and demonstrated grasp of a micro-object in air.