ACTUATORS USED FOR ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES

Abstract

This work presents aspects regarding the actuators used to create artificial muscles and their operating principles. Actuators perform an action (movement, brightness increase, colour change) based on a stimulus (electrical, mechanical, magnetic or chemical). Actuators can be used to create artificial muscles, stimulating or replacing the functions of human muscles, for robots or medical devices such as prostheses. They can be used to create linear or rotary motion and can be controlled via electrical or hydraulic systems. In terms of artificial muscles, actuators are used to produce the movement or force required to mimic the action of human muscles. In general, the actuators used in artificial muscles must present good precision and be easily controlled. In addition, they must be reliable and able to be integrated into a wide range of devices. While electric motors are the most popular actuator-based systems, hydraulic, pneumatic and piezoelectric actuators are frequently used to create artificial muscles.

Keywords

• actuators
• artificial muscles
• energy
• medical devices