1. Development of a shape memory alloy actuator for a robotic eye prosthesis
- Author
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T B Wolfe, J Wolfaardt, and M G Faulkner
- Subjects
Engineering ,Philosophy of design ,business.industry ,Work (physics) ,Shape-memory alloy ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,Computer Science::Robotics ,Transformation (function) ,Mechanics of Materials ,Control system ,Signal Processing ,General Materials Science ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering ,Biomimetics ,Orbital prosthesis ,business ,Actuator ,Simulation ,Civil and Structural Engineering - Abstract
The quality of life of patients who wear an orbital prosthesis would be vastly improved if their prostheses were also able to execute vertical and horizontal motion. This requires appropriate actuation and control systems to create an intelligent prosthesis. A method of actuation that meets the demanding design criteria is currently not available. The present work considers an activation system that follows a design philosophy of biomimicry, simplicity and space optimization. While several methods of actuation were considered, shape memory alloys were chosen for their high power density, high actuation forces and high displacements. The behaviour of specific shape memory alloys as an actuator was investigated to determine the force obtained, the transformation temperatures and details of the material processing. In addition, a large-scale prototype was constructed to validate the response of the proposed system. more...
- Published
- 2005
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