Electric characterization of a Bioinspired Gripper

Abstract

This work focuses on a normally open bioinspired microgripper, which corresponds to the Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) field, as well as on its scaling and fabrication process in aluminum 6053 for performance testing. The design was inspired by the mandibles of ants. Its structure is composed of a flexible M-type amplifier and a Z-shaped chevron actuator. The design and simulation were performed using ANSYSTM. The aluminum resistivity and the equivalent resistance of the gripper were calculated, and experimental tests were carried out with an inductor (L), capacitor (C) and resistor (R) electrical property meter, LCR. Experimental characterization of the gripper was carried out, applying a sweep of electric current from 5 up to 60 A to the actuator. The temperature values were registered using a thermographic camera; the displacement was determined using a microscope. The average error between numerical and experimental results of the actuator shaft temperature is lower than 13%.

Keywords

• MEMS
• Microgripper
• Scaling
• ANSYS
• Electrothermal actuation
• Aluminium 6053