Feedback-Controlled Limit Cycle Oscillation in Spherical Dielectric Actuator

Leveraging inspiration from nature to address human challenges through bio-mimicking has become a crucial approach. The dynamics of a human heart coupled with a pacemaker has been an important topic. Employing the bio-mimicking concept helps to address the dynamic performance that would further flourish the design and function of medical devices. The modeling and analysis of a coupled system composed of a spherical dielectric elastomer actuator and an oscillator are used in this paper to mimic the heart and pacemaker. This helps replicate the rhythmic oscillation of the heart with a pacemaker. A displacement feedback control strategy is used to couple the actuator and oscillator. An analytical solution for the limit cycle oscillation of the nonlinear coupled equation is derived using the method of multiple scales. The limit cycle behavior is essential for mimicking the rhythmic sustained oscillations like the natural cardiac functions. The results show that the coupled system oscillates robustly and consistently under the displacement feedback control strategy, demonstrating the effectiveness of the control mechanism. The results also focus on the parameter dependence of the system dynamics. The analysis of the effect of parameter variation may be used to obtain the required solution corresponding to different conditions. This work lays the groundwork for future research into feedback-controlled bio-mimicking systems in medical devices, specifically the design of pacemakers that can synchronize with the heart’s dynamics, with potential applications in biomimetic systems, soft robotics, and adaptive control mechanisms.