Design of a small-scale lightweight underwater DE-driven pump

Soft fluid actuators (SFAs) are crucial in the design of underwater systems, providing essential deformation capabilities for various applications. However, their power sources are typically rigid and bulky mechanical pumps, which significantly restrict their flexibility and environmental adaptability. To address this issue, we propose a magnetically enhanced, small-scale, lightweight dielectric elastomer (DE) pump for underwater applications. This novel pump achieves a maximum underwater driving pressure of 2.18 kPa and a maximum average flow rate of 81 ml/min. A dynamic model, based on the uniform deformation of the DE film, was developed to describe the driving behavior of the magnet-DE actuator. Utilizing the proposed DE pump, we designed balloon-type and gripper-type flexible actuators, capable of underwater grasping complex-shaped objects, thereby verifying the pump’s efficacy in driving SFAs underwater.