Jan Geboers | Andreas Schneider | Momentive | BSC Computer: What if your actuator could also feel?

How can a single material be a high-voltage insulator, a flexible automotive part, and a biocompatible medical device?

The core of a Dielectric Elastomer Actuator (DEA) is the material, and silicone elastomers possess a unique combination of properties that make them ideal. Drawing from their use in high-voltage insulators, silicones are prized for their excellent dielectric properties. They can be formulated to be either strongly insulating, withstanding over 4.5 kV, or made highly conductive by using different additives. This tunable electrical behavior is fundamental to creating the alternating insulating and conductive layers that form the actuator's capacitor-like structure.

Beyond electrical properties, silicones offer superior processability and long-term stability. Their exquisitely low viscosity, orders of magnitude lower than other rubbers, enables scalable manufacturing of the ultra-thin, micron-thick layers required for DEAs using methods like injection molding or knife coating. Unlike materials such as TPUs, which can hydrolyze and degrade over decades, silicones are exceptionally stable over wide temperature ranges and long timeframes, ensuring the actuator's durability and reliability in demanding applications.

Finally, the material's mechanical and biocompatible advantages are critical. Silicones exhibit low mechanical hysteresis, meaning very little energy is lost as heat when converting electricity into motion, resulting in a highly efficient actuator. Furthermore, their widespread use in the medical field is due to their inertness and biocompatibility; they do not cause skin sensitization and are not allergenic. This, combined with their ability to be sterilized, opens up possibilities for DEAs in advanced medical devices, wearables, and human-machine interfaces.

In this short video, you can learn:
* The unique dielectric properties of silicones that allow them to be either highly insulating or conductive.
* Why silicones offer superior processability and long-term stability compared to materials like TPUs.
* The benefits of low hysteresis and biocompatibility for creating efficient and safe actuators.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip details the unique material science of silicone elastomers that makes them ideal for Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs). It covers their tunable dielectric properties, superior processability for scalable manufacturing, and key advantages like low hysteresis and biocompatibility derived from their use in high-voltage, automotive, and medical applications.
🔗 Link in comments 👇

Can you power a physical lock with just your smartphone's NFC, no batteries required?

The remarkable energy efficiency of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) is a key enabler for sustainable and maintenance-free devices. A typical 10x10x20mm actuator stack, with a capacitance of 150 nanofarads, requires only about 50 millijoules of energy to charge to 800 volts. This minimal energy input is enough to produce a 5% strain, or a 1mm contraction, which is sufficient to operate mechanisms like a small lock or valve. This is a fraction of the energy consumed by conventional motors, which suffer from high inrush currents and mechanical conversion losses.

This ultra-low energy requirement makes it feasible to power the actuator without batteries, using ambient energy harvesting techniques. A prime example is harvesting power from a standard smartphone's Near Field Communication (NFC) signal. An NFC field can provide approximately 20 millijoules of energy, meaning that holding a phone near the device for just two to three seconds is enough to accumulate the 50 millijoules needed to power a full actuation cycle.

This concept is being implemented in a real-world, battery-less smart lock application. In this system, a user's smartphone provides not only the encrypted credentials for access but also the wireless power via NFC to operate the lock's DEA mechanism. This completely eliminates the need for internal batteries, which in turn removes the associated maintenance costs, failure points, and electronic waste. It represents a paradigm shift for creating sustainable, connected, and convenient access control systems for everything from personal lockers to industrial cabinets.

In this short video, you can learn:
* The calculation for the low energy consumption (approx. 50 mJ) of a typical DEA stack.
* How NFC energy harvesting can be used to power the actuator, eliminating the need for batteries.
* The architecture of a real-world application: a battery-less, wireless smart lock powered by a smartphone.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip demonstrates the remarkable energy efficiency of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators, requiring only 50 millijoules for a full actuation cycle. This low power draw makes it possible to operate the device using energy harvested from a smartphone's NFC field, enabling entirely battery-less applications like a smart lock.
🔗 Link in comments 👇