Response Speed of Phase Change Based Soft Actuator\nEnhanced by Antagonistic Effect

The\ntraditional pneumatic soft actuator offers significant advantages,\nincluding high output force and strong deformation capabilities, making\nit widely utilized in soft robotics. Building on this foundation,\na phase change drive mechanism addresses the size and weight issues\nassociated with pneumatic actuators, but it also results in prolonged\nworking times. In this paper, we propose a method for manufacturing\na chamber using PVA 3D printing and design an electrothermal soft\nactuator featuring a double multichamber structure driven by the principles\nof phase change. The actuator utilizes phase transformation to generate\nair pressure, which enhances the recovery speed and expands the working\nrange through the antagonistic effect. Under low voltage (<8 V),\nthe average deformation rate of the actuator designed in this paper\nis increased by more than 50% through the antagonistic effect of the\ndouble multicavity structure, which effectively improves the actuator’s\noverall efficiency. In addition, the actuator can achieve a unilateral\ndeformation of 18.7 mm and generate a load output force of 540.7 g\nwhile weighing only 15.8 g.