Application Cases

【Overview】
In this study, the Aigtek ATA-67110 power amplifier was used to build a high-performance triboelectric bionic robot (TEBR) drive system. A high-performance TEBR system was developed to drive and control electrically responsive soft robots. Its core components include: a leech-inspired soft robot (LSR) made of segmented dielectric elastomer muscles, triboelectric suction cups generating anisotropic friction, a multi-channel high-voltage output triboelectric nanogenerator effectively driving the LSR, and a high-voltage triboelectric control unit adapted to the HDC-TENG enabling flexible LSR control. The scalable structure using dielectric elastomer muscles allows the LSR to achieve a maximum crawling speed of 0.39 body lengths per minute (45 mm/min) on land and 0.22 body lengths per minute (30.5 mm/min) in liquid. It can also carry a payload of 11.55 g while crawling. This study provides a sustainable and promising new solution for self-powered high-voltage energy sources suitable for electrically responsive soft robots.

Experiment Name: High-Voltage-Driven Leech-Inspired Soft Robot

Research Direction: Dielectric Elastomer Soft Robots

Experimental Content:
This experiment prepared a leech-inspired triboelectric soft robot. The key performance metrics of the soft robot were tested using the ATA-67110 high-voltage amplifier:

1. For the soft robot based on VHB dielectric elastomer material, the breakdown voltage of VHB under different stretch ratios was tested.

2. The blocking force of the VHB dielectric elastomer under different voltages was measured.

3. The electrostatic adhesion performance of the electrostatic interdigital electrode on the material surface under different driving voltages was tested.
   After testing the material and robot structure, the optimized model was driven and controlled using a high-voltage DC triboelectric nanogenerator, enabling the dielectric elastomer robot to achieve amphibious motion, climbing, and load-carrying crawling. It achieved a maximum crawling speed of 0.39 body lengths per minute on land and 0.22 body lengths per minute in liquid.

Testing Equipment:
ATA-67110 high-voltage amplifier, signal generator, oscilloscope, laser displacement sensor, force sensor, etc.

Experimental Procedure:

Figure: Framework Diagram of the Experimental Test System

Figure: Physical Setup of the Experimental Test System

The experiment compared the driving performance of a soft robot using a high-voltage DC triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) versus a high-voltage amplifier (ATA-67110). The TENG could only effectively drive the soft robot at very low frequencies (<2 Hz), whereas the circuit using the ATA-67110 enabled the soft robot to move at high speeds within a frequency range of up to 10 Hz. It is worth noting that using a high-voltage amplifier to drive the soft robot  cause dielectric elastomer film breakdown. Therefore, the maximum withstand voltage of the material needed to be measured before driving the soft robot.

Experimental Results:
A high-performance TEBR drive system was proposed, integrating a multi-channel high-voltage DC TENG with an open-circuit voltage of 18 kV, a triboelectric control system, and a leech-inspired soft robot. The TEBR features flexible control capability (via four-channel high-voltage output), stable high-voltage output, and user safety (only microampere-level current). The robot consists of two main components: bioinspired deformable dielectric elastomer muscles (for body deformation) and two triboelectric suction cups (for substrate adhesion), providing simple control through voltage. It can crawl on various materials (wood, kraft paper, and acrylic) and carry payloads (maximum load of 11.55 g).

The maximum adhesion force of the electrostatic suction cup primarily depends on the applied voltage, with input charge quantity having a relatively minor influence. Under saturation voltage conditions for the triboelectric suction cup, both a high-power (100 W) high-voltage amplifier and a low-power (56.92 mW) triboelectric nanogenerator provided nearly equivalent adhesion forces in the electrostatic suction cup. Additionally, adjusting the TENG parameters, including rotational speed, number of output channels, and the number of carbon fibers in the collector brush, allowed flexible control of the adhesion force of the triboelectric suction cup. As shown in the figure below, the soft robot, driven by the triboelectric nanogenerator, could crawl on surfaces such as wood, kraft paper, and acrylic, or crawl in insulating oil, and even carry payloads.

Figure: Experimental Results

Advantages of Aigtek Amplifiers in This Application:

1. High voltage output capability – Provides kilovolt-level driving electric fields for dielectric elastomer materials.

2. Stable low-frequency response – Accurately simulates the actual operating conditions of the soft robot.

3. Wide-range continuously adjustable output – Covers the full range of breakdown voltage testing, blocking force testing, and electrostatic adhesion testing.

Recommended Product: ATA-7100 High-Voltage Amplifier

Figure: ATA-7100 High-Voltage Amplifier Specifications and Parameters