Electrically Actuated Hydraulic Solids

The authors introduce a new class of electrically-actuated soft materials. Electro-active hydraulic solids (EAHSs) are comprised of numerous microscale phase change capsules embedded inside a conductive elastomer matrix which replicate traditional wax actuators in a massively parallel fashion. EAHS can generate forces and stress densities that exceed traditional electroactive actuators. For example, a 14mm diameter 50mm long cylinder can generate 4 500N force and have over 3% strain. The authors describe a simple method for fabricating EAHS and demonstrate their compatibility with a wide range of manufacturing processes including additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, and forming.