A foil transducer for a valve, including at least one firmly arranged holding part, at least one displaceable force transmission part, an electroactive foil composite structure and at least two electrodes. The electroactive foil composite structure has an actuating direction in which the electroactive foil composite structure is extended on actuation. The actuating direction lies in a plane spanned by the electroactive foil composite structure.

Examples include a device including a nanovoided polymer element having a first surface and a second surface, a first plurality of electrodes disposed on the first surface, a second plurality of electrodes disposed on the second surface, and a control circuit configured to apply an electrical potential between one or more of the first plurality of electrodes and one or more of the second plurality of electrodes to induce a physical deformation of the nanovoided polymer element.

A system and method for making electret media is presently provided. The method involves placing a piezoelectric material adjacent a media and applying a mechanical stress to the piezoelectric material and thereby transferring an electric charge from the piezoelectric material to the media and making the electret media. The system is configured to place the piezoelectric material adjacent the media and to apply mechanical stress to the piezoelectric material.

A pressing sensor is provided that generates an output voltage of a first polarity by deforming with an operation plate when a part of a user's body touches the operation plate, and generates the output voltage of a second polarity by deforming with the operation plate when the part of the user's body is moved away from the operation plate. Moreover, a calculation unit calculates an electrical parameter integral value by time-integrating an electrical parameter that changes with the output voltage generated by the pressing sensor. The electrical parameter has a third polarity when the output voltage has the first polarity and has a fourth polarity when the output voltage has the second polarity. The calculation unit calculates a subtraction electrical parameter integral value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value having the third polarity per unit time from the electrical parameter integral value.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses related to thermo-dielectric-elastomer-cells may be shown and described. In one embodiment a thermo dielectric elastomer cell (TDEC) can include a layer of carbon nanotubes that absorb sunlight; a layer of photo switchable molecules; a plurality of dielectric elastomer layers, each of the plurality of dielectric elastomer layer comprising a layer of dielectric elastomer material and a layer of N-P junction transistors between the layers of dielectric elastomer material; a layer of insulators separating each of the plurality of dielectric elastomer layers; and an elastic cushioning which is placed between the plurality of dielectric elastomer layers and surrounding the dielectric elastomer material.

The disclosure provides an electricity generating insert for a piece of footwear, the insert can be removably placed in the heel portion, e.g. under the insole. The insert comprises a multilayer piezoelectric stack that alternatively flexes under the compression-decompression that occurs during locomotion, which flexing causes friction in the stack to generate electricity capable of charging electronic devices and the like, e.g. via a port on the footwear.

An actuator assembly includes a primary electrode, a secondary electrode overlapping at least a portion of the primary electrode, and an electroactive polymer layer disposed between the primary electrode and the secondary electrode, where the electroactive polymer layer includes a non-vertical (e.g., sloped) sidewall with respect to a major surface of at least one of the electrodes. The electroactive polymer layer may be characterized by a non-axisymmetric shape with respect to an axis that is oriented orthogonal to an electrode major surface.

An electronic device is provided that includes a first body, a second body having a structure that rotates with respect to the first body about a central axis, a first sensor that outputs a first detection signal having a first output value indicating that an open angle formed by the first body and the second body is a reference angle, a second sensor that outputs a second detection signal having a second output value that changes under an influence of a change in the open angle, and a control unit that calculates the open angle based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal.

A tolerance compensation subassembly in the form of a tolerance compensation element or a tolerance compensation region to improve the production, maintenance and repair of aircraft. The tolerance compensation subassembly contains an actuator which is formed from an electro-active polymer so that the tolerance compensation subassembly is electrically switchable between a fixed state and a non-fixed state. As a result, automation of the assembly of aircraft components on each other can be enabled or facilitated.

A structure includes an oriented piezoelectric polymer arranged in a circular tubular or circular columnar shape, wherein the orientation angle of the piezoelectric polymer with respect to the central axis of the structure is 15° to 75°, the piezoelectric polymer includes a crystalline polymer having an absolute value of 0.1 to 1000 pC/N for the piezoelectric constant d14 when the orientation axis is the third axis, and the piezoelectric polymer includes a P-body containing a crystalline polymer with a positive piezoelectric constant d14 value and an N-body containing a crystalline polymer with a negative value, wherein for the portion of the central axis of the structure having a length of 1 cm, the value of T1/T2 is 0 to 0.8, T1 being the smaller and T2 being the larger of (ZP+SN) and (SP+ZN), where ZP, SP, ZN, and SN are particularly defined masses.