Researchers created an energy-efficient electric motor actuator, using springs and clutches to slash energy use in dynamic tasks, offering up to 97% efficiency improvement and potential applications in robotics and assistive devices. Energy-recycling actuator prototype. Credit: Erez Krimsky
“Rather than wasting lots of electricity to just sit there humming away and generating heat, our actuator uses these clutches to achieve the very high levels of efficiency that we see from electric motors in continuous processes, without giving up on controllability and other features that make electric motors attractive,” said Steve Collins, associate professor of mechanical engineering and senior author of the paper.
“They’re lightweight, they’re small, they’re really energy efficient, and they can be turned on and off rapidly,” said Erez Krimsky, lead author of the paper, who recently completed his PhD in Collins’ lab. “And if you have lots of clutched springs, it opens up all these exciting possibilities for how you can configure and control them to achieve interesting outcomes.”
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