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In the proposed method parallel plate capacitors are used to transfer power across the encapsulation layer to the sensor, removing any need for protruding wires or cable glands. With one electrode placed within the encapsulation and the second connected to the sensor, sensors are replaceable even underwater. To maintain sensor performance however, a relatively high capacitance is required. For example if the coupling capacitance is 20x greater than sensor capacitance, sensitivity is reduce by approximately 20%. Whereas if the coupling capacitance is only 10x greater, sensitivity is reduced by 40%. Due to these high capacitance requirements combined with the area and weight restrictions of wearable applications, we have investigated the practicality of implementing capacitive coupling. A capacitive coupling interface has been developed and tested with dielectric elastomer sensors underwater. Analysis of the interface's impact on sensor sensitivity, measurement electronics and overall coupling capacitor size is presented.
This study was in collaboration with the University of Auckland's human-powered submarine team, Team Taniwha. The pilot, completely encapsulated in a hull, pedals to propel the submarine forward. Therefore this study focused on leg motion as that is the primary motion of the submarine pilot. Four carbon-filled silicone dielectric elastomer sensors were fabricated and coupled to the pilot's wetsuit. The first two sensors were attached over the knee joints, with the remaining two attached between the pelvis and thigh. The goal was to accurately measure leg joint angles thereby determining the position of each leg relative to the hip. A floating data acquisition unit monitored the sensors and transmitted data packets to a nearby computer for real-time processing. A GoPro Hero 4 silver edition was used to capture the experiments and provide a means of post-validation. The ability of the sensors to measure joint angles was assessed by examining GoPro footage in the image processing software, ImageJ.
This paper applies dielectric elastomer sensor technology to monitoring the leg motion of a diver. The experimental set-up and results are presented and discussed.
McKibben fluidic muscles or pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) are a popular orthosis actuator because of their inherent compliance, high force, and muscle-like load-displacement characteristics. However, the circular cross-section of PMA increases their profile. PMA are also notoriously unreliable and difficult to control, lacking the intelligent pain sensing systems of their biological muscle counterparts.
Here the Peano fluidic muscle, a new low profile yet high-force soft actuator is introduced. This muscle is smart, featuring bioinspired embedded pressure and soft capacitive strain sensors. Given this pressure and strain feedback, experimental validation shows that a lumped parameter model based on the muscle geometry and material parameters can be used to predict its force for quasistatic motion with an average error of 10 - 15N. Combining this with a force threshold pain sensing algorithm sets a precedent for flexible orthosis actuation that uses embedded sensors to prevent damage to the actuator and its environment.
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