A novel self-assembled, surface-micromachined micro-XYZ stage with large displacements and fine positioning accuracy has been demonstrated on Si microoptical bench for optical scanning/alignment applications. Continuous lateral scanning up to 120 pm and vertical scanning up to 250 pm have been achieved with integrated scratch drive actuators (SDA), which have step resolutions of 27 nm. The X Y ...

A concept of moving dielectrophoresis electrodes (MDEP) based on Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) actuators is introduced in this letter. An example design of tuneable dielectrophoresis filter is presented. Finite Element Analysis of the electrostatic field of the tuneable filter has been conducted. Results show that the trapping force can be adjusted by actuating the MEMS actuators. The p...

Introduction During the last few years, aircraft have become increasingly more electric and this trend is expected to continue well into the future as cost and weight advantages drive the market towards cheaper and more efficient aircraft. More Electric Aircraft will contain ever more electric actuators and cabin features and will need more cost efficient power, both on the ground and during cr...

Electro-sensitive (ES) elastomers form a class of smart materials whose mechanical properties can be changed rapidly by the application of an electric field. These materials have attracted considerable interest recently because of their potential for providing relatively cheap and light replacements for mechanical devices, such as actuators, and also for the development of artificial muscles. I...

More-Electric Aircraft (MEA) underlines the utilization of the electrical power to power the nonpropulsive aircraft systems. The aircraft electric actuator (AEA) is an emerging aerospace technology that aims at replacing hydraulic systems with self-contained actuators operated solely by electrical power. This is one of the most important techniques of electric loads of the future more electric ...

Liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs) are well known materials for functional sensor and actuators, because of their high-responsiveness to an electric field. Owing to their complex physical nature, however, the prediction of the functions of LCPs is a challenge. To attack this problem from a molecular point of view, a simulation study is a promising approach. In this work, for future applications of ...

Piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials (notably crystals and certain ceramics) to generate an electric potential in response to applied mechanical stress and vice versa. Whenever this kind of materials produce an electric signal proportional to their deformation, it is said that they work as sensors, and conversely, when they convert electrical energy into mechanical one, as actuator...

This paper analyzes soft actuators realized as unimorph cantilever beams, in which the active layer can have two different morphologies, i.e., either an extruded film or aligned electrospun nanofiber mat of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene). Six are fabricated, with layers varying thicknesses and to study electrostrictive effect polymer evaluate stiffening prop...