Position and force control of a conjugated electro-active polymer actuator

Conjugated electroactive polymer actuators have unique properties such as, low actuation voltage, biocompatibility and actuating in micro scale, which brings them an important potential to use in micro scale applications. The complex structure of these actuators which are generally manufactured as three layered make it difficult to model their electromechanical behavior. Also, these actuators exhibit significant dynamic behavior changes due to ionic liquid evaporation when working in dry environment. This makes it difficult to control the force and position of these actuators precisely. In this study, repetitive and sliding mode control methodology are used to enhance blocking force and positioning ability of conjugated polymer actuators. In addition to these controllers, PI controller is used in repetitive controller system as a stabilizer controller. By taking into consideration that the actuators generally work under periodic signals, periodic reference signals are used to specify tracking performance of controllers.