Inkjet printed dielectric elastomer actuators for facial reconstruction

The LAI-CAM lab is investigating dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) as artificial muscles for facial reconstruction. As a matter of fact, DEA and muscles both share a linear relation between applied current and elongation although muscles contract under a certain current while DEA elongate. The artificial muscles structure would be composed of a dielectric elastomer (DE) with on each side: a fiber layer to guide the movement in one preferential direction and an electrode layer. Inkjet printing is an additive manufacturing technique allowing to print inks at the micro scale. In this report we will investigate the use of inkjet printing for the specific case of DEA.