{"ID":2829885,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17940","arxiv_id":"2512.17940","title":"Untethered thin dielectric elastomer actuated soft robot","abstract":"Thin dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) features a unique in-plane configuration, enabling low-profile designs capable of accessing millimetre-scale narrow spaces. However, most existing DEA-powered soft robots require high voltages and wired power connections, limiting their ability to operate in confined environments. This study presents an untethered thin soft robot (UTS-Robot) powered by thin dielectric elastomer actuators (TS-DEA). The robot measures 38 mm in length, 6 mm in height, and weighs just 2.34 grams, integrating flexible onboard electronics to achieve fully untethered actuation. The TS-DEA, operating at resonant frequencies of 86 Hz under a low driving voltage of 220 V, adopts a dual-actuation sandwiched structure, comprising four dielectric elastomer layers bonded to a compressible tensioning mechanism at its core. This design enables high power density actuation and locomotion via three directional friction pads. The low-voltage actuation is achieved by fabricating each elastomer layer via spin coating to an initial thickness of 50 um, followed by biaxial stretching to 8 um. A comprehensive design and modelling framework has been developed to optimise TS-DEA performance. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the bare TS-DEA achieves a locomotion speed of 12.36 mm/s at resonance, the untethered configuration achieves a locomotion speed of 0.5 mm/s, making it highly suitable for navigating confined and complex environments.","short_abstract":"Thin dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) features a unique in-plane configuration, enabling low-profile designs capable of accessing millimetre-scale narrow spaces. However, most existing DEA-powered soft robots require high voltages and wired power connections, limiting their ability to operate in confined environment...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17940","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.17940v1","authors":"[\"Xi Wang\",\"Jing Liu\",\"Siqian Li\",\"Hengtai Dai\",\"Jung-Che Chang\",\"Adam Rushworth\",\"Xin Dong\"]","published":"2025-12-12T14:57:08Z","proceeding":"cs.RO","tasks":"[\"cs.RO\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}