Tactile device based on opto-mechanical actuation of liquidcrystal elastomers

摘要

Nematic elastomers are promising materials for the fabrication of actuators due to their ability toreversibly contract and expand during phase transitions triggered by external stimuli. Thus, actuation canbe produced on demand, forcing these phase changes. Here, we present a refreshable tactile device basedon the opto-mechanical properties of liquid crystalline elastomers (LCE) with the capability to representBraille characters and simplified graphical information. The actuators designed are based on the use ofthe stress gradient generated in the elastomer under illumination to exert a force on movable compo-nents. Additionally, hardware implementation and a communication software interface were developedto provide end users with a complete solution. Displacements of 0.8 mm with measured forces of up to40 mN were reached without material degradation, proving not only the viability of the device but alsothe potential applications of this type of actuator.