This work investigates the fabrication of hydrogel based lipid bilayers arrays using micro fabrication technologies that enable high precision in controlling the cell-scale droplets. Arrays of hydrogels that support curved aqueous lenses are deposited on two parallel substrates using lithography techniques on top of a network of Ag/AgCl electrodes. The first step in the fabrication process is to deposit silver electrodes using silver paint through a mask, a layer of silver chloride is then formed around the silver channels using another mask with the desired geometry. The hydrogel arrays are then achieved by exposing a thin film of photocrosslinkable hydrogel to UV light through a mask. Hydrogel arrays are fabricated using this technique, which is represents a relatively accurate and inexpensive method. The hydrogel structures can host a thin aqueous curved lenses containing phospholipids . Bilayer arrays can be formed by using a technique similar to the regulated attachment method, where mechanical force is used to bring adjacent aqueous lenses in contact.
This paper presents the re-creation of the bell deformation cycle of the Aequorea victoria jellyfish. It focuses on the
design, fabrication, and characterization of the bio-inspired bell kinematics of an IPMC actuated robotic jellyfish.
The shape and bell kinematics of this underwater vehicle are based on the Aequorea victoria jellyfish. This medusa
is chosen as a model system based on a comparative bell kinematics study that is conducted among different
jellyfish species. Aequorea victoria is known by its low swimming frequency, small bell deformation, and high
Froude efficiency (95%). Different methods of implementing the actuators underneath the bell with smaller IPMC
actuators are investigated to replicate the natural jellyfish's bell deformation. Results demonstrates that proper
placement of the IPMC actuators results in bell configuration that more accurately represents the deformation
properties of the natural jellyfish. Smaller IPMC actuators are used to achieve the desired deformation and
thus the power consumption is reduced by 70% compared to previous generations. A biomimetic jellyfish robot
prototype is built, and its ability to swim and produce thrust with smaller IPMC actuators is shown. The robot
swam with four actuators swam at an average speed 0.77 mm/s and consumed 0.7 W. When eight actuators
were used the average speed increased to 1.5 mm/s with a power consumption of 1.14 W.
This study presents the design and development of an underwater Jellyfish like robot using Ionic Polymer Metal
Composites (IPMCs) as propulsion actuators. For this purpose, IPMCs are manufactured in several variations. First the
electrode architecture is controlled to optimize the strain, strain rate, and stiffness of the actuator. Second, the
incorporated diluents species are varied. The studied diluents are water, formamide, and 1-ethyl-3-methyimidazolium
trifluoromethanesulfonate (EmI-Tf) ionic liquid. A water based IPMC demonstrates a fast strain rate of 1%/s, but small
peak strain of 0.3%, and high current of 200mA/cm2, as compared to an IL based IPMC which has a slow strain rate of
0.1%/s, large strain of 3%, and small current of 50mA/cm2. The formamide is proved to be the most powerful with a
strain rate of approximately 1%/s, peak strain larger than 5%, and a current of 150mA/cm2. The IL and formamide based
samples required encapsulation for shielding the diluents from being dissolved in the surrounding water. Two Jellyfish
like robots are developed each with an actuator with different diluents. Several parameters on the robot are optimized,
such as the input waveform to the actuators, the shape and material of the belly. The finesse ratio of the shape of the
robotic belly is compared with biological jellyfish such as the Aurelia-Aurita..
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