Nematic opto-mechanical actuators for the fabrication of refreshable tactile systems

Abstract

Nematic elastomers are promising materials for the fabrication of actuators due to their ability to reversibly contract and expand during phase transitions triggered by external stimuli. We present a refreshable tactile system based on the opto-mechanical properties of liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCE) composites, with the capability to represent Braille characters and graphic information. The actuators designed are based on the stress gradient generated in the elastomer under illumination to exert a force on movable components. Hardware implementation and communication software interface were developed too to provide end users with a complete solution. First tests prove not only the viability of the device, but also the potential applications of this type of actuators.