Embedded high voltage power and joystick control of a electro-hydraulic tentacle

Publication: An Easy‐to‐Implement Toolkit to Create Versatile and High‐Performance HASEL Actuators for Untethered Soft Robots [PDF] [BIB]

Authors: Shane K Mitchell, Xingrui Wang, Eric Acome, Trent Martin, Khoi Ly, Nicholas Kellaris, Vidyacharan Gopaluni Venkata, Christoph Keplinger

Submission: Advanced Science, 2019

Abstract

With the invention of electro-hydraulic (HASEL) actuators that operate under high voltage, there is an increasing need of miniaturizing embedded high voltage circuit to drive the actuators for robotics applications. Here, I combined a commercial high voltage DC-DC converter (PICO 5VV10P, Pico electronics) and the optocoupler switching circuit from Peta Pico Voltron (https://petapicovoltron.com/) into an H-bridge driver configuration that has been predominantly used to control DC motor. Not only can this circuit adjust the high voltage value but it also can reverse the high voltage polarity applied to the actuators, thus allowing for improved and robust actuators’ performances. The following video provides a more detailed description of the circuit, why high voltage polarity reversal is needed, and how the circuit can be used to drive a soft robotic tentacle.

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