Design and development of electrostatic brakes on the filament level

Abstract

Abstract The Cluster of Excellence ‘Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI)’1 addresses developments and inventions for the use in or as smart devices in many areas, such as Industry 4.0, medicine and skill learning. The application of sensor units in smart textiles is widespread and used in various industry branches. Besides sensors, the development of textile actuating units is a relevant research topic. This paper discusses a theoretical actuator concept that leads to a ready-to-implement fiber-based electrostatic brake concept (passive actuator). Generally, the set-up is similar to a capacitor. Two different variants are presented according to the design of the dielectric and outer electrode layer. The dielectric material, its thickness, manufacturing process, future properties and implementation possibilities of the concepts are considered. Finally, a proof of concept with first results is presented.

Keywords

• Electrostatic brake
• Capacitor
• Electrically conductive
• Yarn
• Theoretical concepts
• Passive actuator