Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic Applications
HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic) actuators have gathered momentum in recent years; they are made of very-low-cost materials, making it easy for anyone to develop their own actuators, and they are “soft” and can achieve tasks that are very difficult to complete with traditio...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/12/11/758 |
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| author | Levi Tynan Upul Gunawardana Ranjith Liyanapathirana Osura Perera Daniele Esposito Jessica Centracchio Gaetano Gargiulo |
| author_facet | Levi Tynan Upul Gunawardana Ranjith Liyanapathirana Osura Perera Daniele Esposito Jessica Centracchio Gaetano Gargiulo |
| author_sort | Levi Tynan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic) actuators have gathered momentum in recent years; they are made of very-low-cost materials, making it easy for anyone to develop their own actuators, and they are “soft” and can achieve tasks that are very difficult to complete with traditional rigid actuators, e.g., grasping soft objects. Unfortunately, HASEL actuators are driven by high-voltage (HV) power supplies, which are expensive to control accurately and difficult to scale up for multichannel applications, e.g., prostheses. This paper presents a low-cost HV power supply designed for HASEL applications that generates 2–10 kV DC at 5% of the cost of the existing HV power supplies used in HASEL actuators. At the core of our design, there is a new control strategy based on controlling the charging and discharging of the actuator from the supply’s low-voltage (LV) side rather than switching the HV side with expensive HV optocouplers. Discharge is achieved via a secondary transformer and multiplier circuit, generating a negative HV output capable of discharging the HASEL effectively and safely up to 10 kV. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-299aae69edb34524a0a4996430cd687e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-1702 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Machines |
| spelling | doaj-art-299aae69edb34524a0a4996430cd687e2024-11-26T18:10:58ZengMDPI AGMachines2075-17022024-10-01121175810.3390/machines12110758Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic ApplicationsLevi Tynan0Upul Gunawardana1Ranjith Liyanapathirana2Osura Perera3Daniele Esposito4Jessica Centracchio5Gaetano Gargiulo6School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, NSW 2747, AustraliaSchool of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, NSW 2747, AustraliaSchool of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, NSW 2747, AustraliaSchool of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, NSW 2747, AustraliaDepartment of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, ItalyDepartment of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Napoli, ItalySchool of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Kingswood, NSW 2747, AustraliaHASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic) actuators have gathered momentum in recent years; they are made of very-low-cost materials, making it easy for anyone to develop their own actuators, and they are “soft” and can achieve tasks that are very difficult to complete with traditional rigid actuators, e.g., grasping soft objects. Unfortunately, HASEL actuators are driven by high-voltage (HV) power supplies, which are expensive to control accurately and difficult to scale up for multichannel applications, e.g., prostheses. This paper presents a low-cost HV power supply designed for HASEL applications that generates 2–10 kV DC at 5% of the cost of the existing HV power supplies used in HASEL actuators. At the core of our design, there is a new control strategy based on controlling the charging and discharging of the actuator from the supply’s low-voltage (LV) side rather than switching the HV side with expensive HV optocouplers. Discharge is achieved via a secondary transformer and multiplier circuit, generating a negative HV output capable of discharging the HASEL effectively and safely up to 10 kV.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/12/11/758HASEL actuatorhigh-voltage power supplyboost convertorH-bridgevoltage multiplier |
| spellingShingle | Levi Tynan Upul Gunawardana Ranjith Liyanapathirana Osura Perera Daniele Esposito Jessica Centracchio Gaetano Gargiulo Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic Applications Machines HASEL actuator high-voltage power supply boost convertor H-bridge voltage multiplier |
| title | Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic Applications |
| title_full | Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic Applications |
| title_fullStr | Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic Applications |
| title_short | Low-Cost High-Voltage Power Supply for Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic Applications |
| title_sort | low cost high voltage power supply for hydraulically amplified self healing electrostatic applications |
| topic | HASEL actuator high-voltage power supply boost convertor H-bridge voltage multiplier |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/12/11/758 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT levitynan lowcosthighvoltagepowersupplyforhydraulicallyamplifiedselfhealingelectrostaticapplications AT upulgunawardana lowcosthighvoltagepowersupplyforhydraulicallyamplifiedselfhealingelectrostaticapplications AT ranjithliyanapathirana lowcosthighvoltagepowersupplyforhydraulicallyamplifiedselfhealingelectrostaticapplications AT osuraperera lowcosthighvoltagepowersupplyforhydraulicallyamplifiedselfhealingelectrostaticapplications AT danieleesposito lowcosthighvoltagepowersupplyforhydraulicallyamplifiedselfhealingelectrostaticapplications AT jessicacentracchio lowcosthighvoltagepowersupplyforhydraulicallyamplifiedselfhealingelectrostaticapplications AT gaetanogargiulo lowcosthighvoltagepowersupplyforhydraulicallyamplifiedselfhealingelectrostaticapplications |