Low-voltage dielectric elastomer actuators propel an autonomous untethered subgram robust soft legged robot along complex paths. Insects are a constant source of inspiration for roboticists. Their compliant bodies allow them to squeeze through small openings and be highly resilient to impacts. However, making subgram autonomous soft robots untethered and capable of responding intelligently to the environment is a long-standing challenge. One obstacle is the low power density of soft actuators, leading to small robots unable to carry their sense and control electronics and a power supply. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), a class of electrostatic electroactive polymers, allow for kilohertz operation with high power density but require typically several kilovolts to reach full strain. The mass of kilovolt supplies has limited DEA robot speed and performance. In this work, we report low-voltage stacked DEAs (LVSDEAs) with an operating voltage below 450 volts and used them to propel an insect-sized (40 millimeters long) soft untethered and autonomous legged robot. The DEAnsect body, with three LVSDEAs to drive its three legs, weighs 190 milligrams and can carry a 950-milligram payload (five times its body weight). The unloaded DEAnsect moves at 30 millimeters/second and is very robust by virtue of its compliance. The sub–500-volt operation voltage enabled us to develop 780-milligram drive electronics, including optical sensors, a microcontroller, and a battery, for two channels to output 450 volts with frequencies up to 1 kilohertz. By integrating this flexible printed circuit board with the DEAnsect, we developed a subgram robot capable of autonomous navigation, independently following printed paths. This work paves the way for new generations of resilient soft and fast untethered robots.

中文翻译：

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低压介电弹性体执行器驱动的自主束缚快速软机器人昆虫

低压介电弹性体致动器沿着复杂的路径推动自主的不受束缚的亚级鲁棒软腿机器人。昆虫一直是机器人学家灵感的源泉。它们的顺应性主体使它们能够从小开口中挤压出来，并且对冲击具有很高的弹性。然而，使subgram自主软机器人不受束缚，并能够智能地响应环境是一项长期的挑战。一个障碍是软执行器的低功率密度，导致小型机器人无法携带其感应和控制电子设备以及电源。介电弹性体致动器（DEAs）是一类静电电活性聚合物，允许以高功率密度进行千赫兹操作，但通常需要几千伏才能达到完全应变。千伏电源的数量限制了DEA机器人的速度和性能。在这项工作中，我们报告了工作电压低于450伏的低压堆叠式DEA（LVSDEA），并用它们推动了昆虫大小（长40毫米）的软性无绳自动支腿机器人。DEAnsect机体带有三个LVSDEA来驱动其三条腿，重190毫克，可以承载950毫克的有效载荷（是其体重的五倍）。卸载的DEAnsect的移动速度为30毫米/秒，并且由于其顺应性而非常坚固。低于500伏的工作电压使我们能够开发780毫克的驱动电子设备，包括光学传感器，微控制器和电池，用于两个通道，以输出450伏的频率，频率高达1千赫。通过将此柔性印刷电路板与DEAnsect集成在一起，我们开发了一种能够自动跟随打印路径独立进行导航的子图机器人。这项工作为新一代弹性，快速，不受束缚的机器人铺平了道路。