# Topics > Robotics > Soft robotics >  Sensory-motor tissues for soft robots, Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Lausanne, Switzerland

## Airicist

Designer - Laboratory of Intelligent Systems

Home page - epfl.ch/labs/lis/research/completed/smt

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## Airicist

Variable stiffness actuator for soft robotics using dielectric elastomer and low-melting-point alloy

Published on Jul 26, 2015




> We developed an actuator using DEA and low-melting-point-alloy (LMPA) embedded silicone substrate. The actuator which we call variable stiffness dielectric elastomer actuator (VSDEA) exhibits a bending actuation and a high rigidity change (~90x) between the soft state and the rigid state.
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> To demonstrate the usefulness of the actuator, we developed a gripper consisted of two VSDEAs acting as fingers. The gripper showed successful handling of an object where the soft state leads to a better confirmation of the fingers, and the rigid state provides sufficient holding force.
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> The result will be presented at the 2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Hamburg, Germany.
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> This work has been done as a collaboration work with the EPFL-LMTS.

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