Category Archives: geometry

Ant capsule

By martin.lukac@iaac.net | Published: June 17, 2013

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The final object installment. Two acrylic capsules interconnected, one containing ant colony, other one with a series of capacitor membranes forming an electric field when being actuated. Rather than an ant habitat model, this is an encapsulated experience for ant species attracted to electric fields. Sound sensor could actuate the capacitors based on the activity of ants. The system could detect ant activity and regulate the intensity of electric field and thus influence the behavior of ants.
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Another day, another actuation test

By martin.lukac@iaac.net | Published: June 13, 2013

Another actuation testing, this time using a different shape. Two shapes are connected to each other, one is just a stretched membrane without the powder, the other one is complete capacitor. Actuation starts around 1.4 kV. Breaking point should be around 6.5 kV. Finally one capacitor that remained intact after testing.

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Actuation tests

By martin.lukac@iaac.net | Published: June 12, 2013

Testing the actuation with high voltage electricity and material properties of the membranes at the same time. Membranes appear to be very sensitive to voltage above 4kV. They tend to damage quite easily. Actuation usually starts around 1.3 / 1.5 kV. Discharging capacitor and converter is done manually, via bleeder resistors board. Capacitor should store electric charge after it is switched off for certain time. After that moment it should discharge gradually and the time of discharge should be influenced by outer level of humidity and the conductivity of the capacitor itself. This could be an interesting moment in the behavior of an array of capacitors being switched on and off.

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test object
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Polymer actuation test 1.0

By martin.lukac@iaac.net | Published: June 7, 2013

Testing the actuation of the polymer film. Materials and electronics: VHB polymer film, conductive graphite powder, acrylic glass, high voltage converter, variable power supply, cables.

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Electroactive polymer membrane test

By martin.lukac@iaac.net | Published: June 6, 2013

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Testing the elasticity of VHB polymer film membranes attached to the planar surface. This method could be applied to the system of polymer actuators inside the final object prototype.

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