Electroactive Polymer Gel Robots

This monograph presents new developments and advances of deformable robots made of electroactive polymer (EAP) gel, which is a promising new material for artificial muscles. "Electroactive Polymer Gel Robots" presents the design, development and experimental control of deformable machines consisting of EAP gel on the basis of a theoretical deformation model. Experimental results are demonstrated including beam-shaped gels curling around an object and starfish-shaped gel robots turning over. Future direction of gel robots are presented such as polymer robots assisting human with physical interaction or muscle suits wrapping around the elders or athletes to support their movements.