piezo-electric pump for mini hydraulic robot

[ratstar]

One of these little micro-pumps would be great for a miniature hydraulic robot, with electrical actuation of its actuators. My system is doing that except, I'm making my own electrostatic version, they operate at 10 kilohertz but they only have a micrometre stroke. So if you multiply 0.0001 by 10,000 you get 1 cm a second, of say a radius of a cm^2.

If you use millimetre channels then that could be 100 cm a second, which is more like what you need for a fast little critter.

I bet buying these is alot more cost effective than buying DC motors!!!

 

[Nanren888]

You have microfab capability?
So by multiply by 10,000 you mean make a really long one (large area?) to get the hydraulic volume up?
You might be able to get rid of those valves if you used a Tesla valve; a sort of hydraulic diode.

 

[ratstar]

You have microfab capability?

Its not that small, probably make it 3cm by 3cm by 1cm probably would be nice, for a disc shaped one.

So by multiply by 10,000 you mean make a really long one (large area?) to get the hydraulic volume up?

The hydraulic volume is very small, but it makes up for it (somewhat) by going really high frequency.

You might be able to get rid of those valves if you used a Tesla valve; a sort of hydraulic diode.

That sounds perfect. Making room for those would be easily budgetted in, cause its so cool. Then its all fully solid state, except for the drumskin itself, but some ppl still call that solid state, but I think its slightly different, "flex state.".

You can make flexible diodes as well, but it still is a moving piece, IMO. Tesla valves work completely rigid and unmoving, which adds to the coolness factor.

Heres a tesla valve pump?

 

[Nanren888]

Just another thought. If you have not come across it before, you might want to google "squeezed film". If you make fluidic things really small so the fluid/air is thin you get weird effects where the effective viscosity can go up.