Compliant Electropermanent Magnets

Modular and climbing robots have employed electropermanent magnets as a power-efficient alternative to electromagnets for tasks that involve attaching modules or exerting forces on ferromagnetic surfaces. In this paper, we present compliant electropermanent magnets that extend the benefits of electropermanent magnets to the field of soft robotics. We describe a process for designing compliant electropermanent magnets with different materials and mixing ratios to achieve desired properties without sacrificing the mechanical compliance necessary for integration into soft robots. Finally, we characterize the performance of the compliant electropermanent magnets and demonstrate their ability to repeatably and reversibly switch their magnetization ON and OFF.