Robust control of dielectric elastomer diaphragm actuator for replicating human pulse

Human pulse replication is an emerging technology that enables telediagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine. However, soft actuation with multi-frequency tracking capability is in great need for replicating human pulse signal. Dielectric elastomer (DE) is one type of soft actuating materials, which shows great potential in human pulse replication. In this paper, we developed a model-based robust control for a DE diaphragm actuator to track human pulse signal. The DE diaphragm actuator is designed and fabricated. An empirical model of the DE actuator is developed to build a black-box model based on the experimental data. Based on the empirical model, an H-infinity robust control is designed to reject high-frequency sensing noises and disturbances. The robust control was then implemented in real-time to track human pulse signal. A human pulse signal was measured at the City University of Hong Kong and replicated at Wichita State University in US. Experimental data has verified that the DE actuator with its robust control was capable of replicating human pulse signal for telediagnosis.