A novel electroactive polymer buoyancy control device for bioinspired underwater vehicles
A novel depth control device has been designed and built. The proof-of-concept device utilizes the principles of electrolysis of water, enhanced by the inclusion of an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) membrane as a medium. The device design incorporates an artificial bladder where the volume of gas generated by electrolysis is controlled by a solenoid valve, thus changing the deviceˇs buoyancy. A set of gold electrodes, separated by an IPMC film, is used as a lightweight and compact electrolysis generator. IPMC acts as stable, low power, highly efficient and environmentally friendly gas generator. Experimental results using open-loop control show that the device is capable of controlling its buoyancy efficiently with no noise and low power consumption. Applications for this technology include integration into bioinspired, unmanned underwater vehicles.
Tae I. Um Zheng Chen Hilary Bart-Smith
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at University of Virginia,122 Engineers Way,P.O. Box 400746,Charlottesville,VA 22904
国际会议
2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation(2011年IEEE世界机器人与自动化大会 ICRA 2011)
上海
英文
172-177
2011-05-09（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）