Preliminary Study on Self-Sensing Method for Ion-Conductive Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) Actuator Based on Current Detection

Abstract

This paper presents a preliminary idea for sensing the deformation of ion-conductive polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuator based on current detection. This method is based on the principle that the impedance of the IPMC actuator is correlated to its bending curvature. Experimental results on the relationship between actuating voltage, current and deformation are presented. It is shown that there are phase differences among these three variables. And it is further shown that within a certain range of deformation, there is a correlation between the impedance and the deformation. The findings suggest it is possible to design a novel way to detect the output feedback of IPMC actuator.