Soft Actuators

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Introduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Progress and Current Status of Materials and Properties of Soft Actuators

      • Hidenori Okuzaki

      Pages 3-18

   3. Current Status of Applications and Markets of Soft Actuators

      • Kinji Asaka, Kayo Nakamura

      Pages 19-30

3. Materials of Soft Actuators: Thermo-Driven Soft Actuators

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 31-31

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   2. Electromagnetic Heating

      • Takeshi Yamauchi

      Pages 33-41

   3. Thermo-Responsive Nanofiber Mats Fabricated by Electrospinning

      • Hidenori Okuzaki

      Pages 43-54

   4. Self-Oscillating Gels

      • Ryo Yoshida

      Pages 55-78

4. Materials of Soft Actuators: Electro-Driven Soft Actuators

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 79-79

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   2. Ionic Conductive Polymers

      • Kunitomo Kikuchi, Shigeki Tsuchitani

      Pages 81-93

   3. Conducting Polymers

      • Keiichi Kaneto

      Pages 95-109

   4. Humidity-Sensitive Conducting Polymer Actuators

      • Hidenori Okuzaki

      Pages 111-126

   5. Carbon Nanotube/Ionic Liquid Composites

      • Takushi Sugino, Kenji Kiyohara, Kinji Asaka

      Pages 127-139

   6. Ion Gels for Ionic Polymer Actuators

      • Masayoshi Watanabe, Satoru Imaizumi, Tomohiro Yasuda, Hisashi Kokubo

      Pages 141-156

   7. Ionic Liquid/Polyurethane/PEDOT:PSS Composite Actuators

      • Hidenori Okuzaki

      Pages 157-167

   8. Dielectric Gels

      • Toshihiro Hirai

      Pages 169-182

   9. Dielectric Elastomers

      • Seiki Chiba

      Pages 183-195

   10. Development of Actuators Using Slide Ring Materials and Their Various Applications

       • Hiromitsu Takeuchi

       Pages 197-202

   11. Piezoelectric Polymers

       • Yoshiro Tajitsu

       Pages 203-215

5. Materials of Soft Actuators: Light-Driven Soft Actuators

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 217-217

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The subject of this book is the current comprehensive research and development of soft actuators, and encompasses interdisciplinary studies of materials science, mechanics, electronics, robotics and bioscience. As an example, the book includes current research on actuators based on biomaterials to provide future perspectives for artificial muscle technology. Readers can obtain detailed, useful information about materials, methods of synthesis, fabrication and measurements. The topics covered here not only promote further research and development of soft actuators but also lead the way to their utilization and industrialization. One outstanding feature of the book is that it contains many color figures, diagrams and photographs clearly describing the mechanism, apparatus and motion of soft actuators. The chapter on modeling is conducive to more extensive design work in materials and devices and is especially useful in the development of practical applications. Readers can acquire the newest technology and information about the basic science and practical applications of flexible, lightweight and noiseless soft actuators, which are quite unlike conventional mechanical engines and electric motors. The new ideas offered in this volume will provide inspiration and encouragement to researchers and developers as they explore new fields of applications for soft actuators.

• Artificial Muscle
• Conductive Polymer
• Dielectric Elastomer
• Ionic Polymer
• Soft Actuator

• National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Osaka, Japan

  Kinji Asaka

• University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan

  Hidenori Okuzaki

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