Electroactive Polymers as Artificial Muscles: Capabilities, Potentials and Challenges

The low density and the relative ease of shaping made polymers highly attractive materials and they are increasingly being chosen for aerospace applications. Polymer matrix composite materials significantly impacted the construction of high performance aircraft components and structures. In recent years, the resilience characteristics of polymers made them attractive to the emerging field of inflatable structures. Balloons were used to cushion the deployment of the Mars Pathfinder lander on July 4, 1997, paving the way for the recent large number of related initiatives. Inflatable structures are now being used to construct a rover, aerial vehicles, telescopes, radar antennas, and others. Some of these applications have reached space flight experiments, whereas others are now at advanced stages of development.