Design and Characterization of a Two‐Dimensional Soft Array Based on Cooperative Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

ABSTRACT

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are highly deformable capacitors that operate as soft actuators, sensors, or generators. While stand‐alone DE actuators are well established, multidimensional cooperative DE systems remain largely unexplored. This work presents a fully polymeric 2D array of DE transducer elements sharing a common silicone substrate, where neighboring units interact electromechanically. This cooperative architecture combines actuation and sensing, while fully polymeric negative‐stiffness biasing elements enhance out‐of‐plane stroke with low hysteresis. Experiments show multi‐actuation strokes up to , improved low‐frequency response under simultaneous actuation, and reductions under alternating actuation; high‐frequency characterization reveals both direct and cooperative neighbor‐induced displacements, with millimeter‐scale peaks reaching at frequencies up to and at , supporting lower‐amplitude haptic stimulation; furthermore, self‐sensing experiments conducted on the two‐dimensional array demonstrate the system's ability to detect interactions with external objects by monitoring the resulting capacitance variations with picofarad‐level sensitivity. Finally, the ability of the DEA array to combine self‐sensing capabilities and cooperative actuation are demonstrated via a DE‐based autonomous conveyor proof‐of‐concept: the array can identify mutual interactions during high‐voltage actuation and autonomously detect and move a ping‐pong ball across its surface.