We propose a soft electromagnetic sliding actuator that provides various planar motions to construct highly compliant actuation systems. The actuator is composed of a fully soft actuation base (stator) for generating electromagnetic and magnetic forces and a rigid neodymium magnet (slider) that slides on the actuation base. A parallel liquid-metal coil array in the stator is designed based on theoretical modeling and an optimization process to maximize the electromagnetic field density. The stretchable magnetic components in the stator allow the slider to retain its position stably without additional constraints. By incorporating an untethered structure in which the slider is mechanically decoupled from the stator, the actuator can be operated with reduced power consumption, attributed to the absence of a restoring force. The trajectory of the slider can be programmed by selectively applying the input current to the liquid-meal coil array, and the location of the slider can be estimated by measuring the change in inductance of each coil. Moreover, the proposed actuator demonstrates the capability of operating on curved surfaces through its physical compliance as well as on inclined surfaces thanks to the holding force generated by the magnetic components of the stator. Taking advantage of the unique characteristics of our actuator, robotic applications, including shape morphing systems and sensor-actuator integrated systems, are demonstrated.

中文翻译：

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使用微流体导电线圈阵列实现高度顺应平面运动的软电磁滑动执行器。


我们提出了一种软电磁滑动致动器，它提供各种平面运动来构建高度顺应的致动系统。致动器由用于产生电磁力和磁力的全软致动底座（定子）和在致动底座上滑动的刚性钕磁体（滑块）组成。基于理论建模和优化过程设计了定子中的并联液态金属线圈阵列，以最大化电磁场密度。定子中的可拉伸磁性组件使滑块能够稳定地保持其位置，而无需额外的约束。通过采用滑块与定子机械分离的不受束缚的结构，由于不存在恢复力，致动器可以以降低的功耗运行。通过选择性地将输入电流施加到液餐线圈阵列，可以对滑块的轨迹进行编程，并且可以通过测量每个线圈的电感变化来估计滑块的位置。此外，所提出的执行器展示了通过其物理顺应性在弯曲表面上运行的能力，以及由于定子磁性组件产生的保持力而在倾斜表面上运行的能力。利用我们执行器的独特特性，演示了机器人应用，包括形状变形系统和传感器-执行器集成系统。