Tetherless IPMC Actuator Integrated with Thin Magnesium Battery Formed by Sputtering

Flexible and lightweight soft actuators have attracted significant attention in recent years. One such soft actuator is the Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) actuator, which can operate in water, be driven at a low voltage, and produces little noise. This actuator has a thin-film structure with an ion-exchange membrane coating, and performs a bending motion when a voltage is applied to its electrodes on both sides. Herein, we apply this actuator to a tetherless IPMC robot with a high degree of freedom by eliminating wiring from the power supply and simplifying the components. Focusing on the power source, we propose a method for depositing and adhering electrodes using sputtering equipment to integrate batteries with IPMC actuators. A magnesium battery that can function as an electrolyte in water is used, which provides the operating environment of the actuator. In this study, electrode deposition is performed using sputtering equipment, and the sputtering conditions for magnesium were examined. In addition, three prototypes were fabricated and compared with metal plates, and experiments were conducted to survey the actuator behavior with the battery electrode under the deposition.