Modeling and Control of Fishing-Line/ Sewing-Thread Artificial Muscles (Twisted and Coiled Polymer Fibers, TCPFs)

Abstract

This chapter introduces a study on modeling and control of a fishing-line/ sewing-thread artificial muscle, which is named as a twisted and coiled polymer fiber (TCPF). The beginning part of this chapter briefly introduces outline of fishing-line artificial muscle actuators, and the following part describes modeling and control. Observing the result of system identification of a TCPF driven by Joule heating, we clarify that the response from the applied power to the temperature is particularly dominant in the system dynamics. By controlling heating wire, contraction of a fishing-line artificial muscle can be converged to a reference position. Moreover, by controlling a cooling fan, it is also possible to improve response of the expansion of an actuator.