Development of Tuning Fork-shaped Clamps with Nickel-electroded Ionic Polymer Metal Composites

This study presents an innovative soft tuning fork-shaped clamp transducer consisting of a clamp with two fingers and a handle. We successfully fabricated the clamp, made of ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) with nickel electrodes, using a cost-effective micromachining fabrication technique. Further, we conducted experiments to characterize the electrical and mechanical properties of the IPMC clamp. The clamp can be electrically controlled in an open or closed state. Between the two front fingers, a largest gap of 2.5 mm and a smallest gap of 0.5 mm were achieved with an 8 V square wave actuation. The clamp was also demonstrated to continuously pinch an object for 1 min, and the instance in which a sudden external force was exerted on the pinched object could be detected from its feedback current signal.