ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Robot. AI
Sec. Robotic Control Systems
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frobt.2025.1546945
Data-Driven Modeling and Identification of a bistable Soft-Robot Element based on Dielectric Elastomer
Provisionally accepted
- Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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This paper presents the development and experimental validation of a hybrid modeling framework for a bistable soft robotic system driven by dielectric elastomer (DE) actuators. The proposed approach combines physics-based analytical modeling with data-driven radial basis function (RBF) networks to capture the nonlinear and dynamic behavior of the soft robots. The bistable DE system consists of a buckled beam structure and symmetric DE membranes to achieve rapid switching between two stable states. A physics-based model is first derived to describe the electromechanical coupling, energy functions, and dynamic behavior of the actuator. To address discrepancies between the analytical model and experimental data caused by geometric asymmetries and unmodeled effects, the model is augmented with RBF networks. The model is refined using experimental data and validated through analytical, numerical, and experimental investigation.
Keywords: bistable dielectric elastomer actuator, RBF network, dynamical and hybrid modeling, Soft robot, smart structure Frontiers
Received: 17 Dec 2024; Accepted: 26 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Masoud and Maas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Abd Elkarim Masoud, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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