arXiv subjects

Ahad M. Rauf

Publications and source records attributed to Ahad M. Rauf.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Power from Potential: A Survey of Electrostatic Actuators for Haptics

As haptic interfaces integrate more seamlessly into wearables and everyday environments, they increasingly require actuators that are soft, thin, silent, and energy efficient. However, conventional motors and temperature-responsive polymers often struggle to deliver these properties due to their bulky form factors and high power consumption. High-Voltage Electrostatic Actuators (HVEAs), which generate force by applying an electric field to localized charge concentrations using high voltages and ultra-low currents, have recently emerged as a compelling alternative due to their fast, silent, and low-power operation within highly customizable and compliant form factors. This paper presents a focused review of HVEAs for haptics, examining four major classes: electrostatic switchable adhesives, dielectric elastomer actuators, soft electrohydraulic actuators, and electrokinetic pumps. For each class, we describe their mechanisms that enable haptic output; characterize their bandwidths, force densities, and spatial scalability; and evaluate their versatility for rendering cutaneous and kinesthetic feedback across wearable and world-grounded interfaces. Through this cross-technology analysis, we identify common design constraints and emerging strategies for improving ergonomics, streamlining fabrication, and integrating self-sensing. We conclude by outlining where HVEAs are uniquely positioned to advance haptic interaction and highlighting key research directions needed to translate these technologies into practical systems.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2025

Modeling the Dynamics of Sub-Millisecond Electroadhesive Engagement and Release Times

Electroadhesive clutches are electrically controllable switchable adhesives commonly used in soft robots and haptic user interfaces. They can form strong bonds to a wide variety of surfaces at low power consumption. However, electroadhesive clutches in the literature engage to and release from substrates several orders of magnitude slower than a traditional electrostatic model would predict. Large release times, in particular, can limit electroadhesion's usefulness in high-bandwidth applications. We develop a novel electromechanical model for electroadhesion, factoring in polarization dynamics, the drive circuitry's rise and fall times, and contact mechanics between the dielectric and substrate. We show in simulation and experimentally how different design parameters affect the engagement and release times of centimeter-scale electroadhesive clutches to metallic substrates, and we find that the model accurately captures the magnitude and trends of our experimental results. In particular, we find that higher drive frequencies, narrower substrate aspect ratios, and faster drive circuitry output stages enable significantly faster release times. The fastest clutches have engagement times less than 15 us and release times less than 875 us, which are 10x and 17.1x faster, respectively, than the best times found in prior literature on centimeter-scale electroadhesive clutches.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2023

Electroadhesive Auxetics as Programmable Layer Jamming Skins for Formable Crust Shape Displays

Shape displays are a class of haptic devices that enable whole-hand haptic exploration of 3D surfaces. However, their scalability is limited by the mechanical complexity and high cost of traditional actuator arrays. In this paper, we propose using electroadhesive auxetic skins as a strain-limiting layer to create programmable shape change in a continuous ("formable crust") shape display. Auxetic skins are manufactured as flexible printed circuit boards with dielectric-laminated electrodes on each auxetic unit cell (AUC), using monolithic fabrication to lower cost and assembly time. By layering multiple sheets and applying a voltage between electrodes on subsequent layers, electroadhesion locks individual AUCs, achieving a maximum in-plane stiffness variation of 7.6x with a power consumption of 50 uW/AUC. We first characterize an individual AUC and compare results to a kinematic model. We then validate the ability of a 5x5 AUC array to actively modify its own axial and transverse stiffness. Finally, we demonstrate this array in a continuous shape display as a strain-limiting skin to programmatically modulate the shape output of an inflatable LDPE pouch. Integrating electroadhesion with auxetics enables new capabilities for scalable, low-profile, and low-power control of flexible robotic systems.

cs.RO↗