| abstract |
Many devices with “limbs” or “arms” are susceptible to damage when a user bends or twists a joint of the limb or arm beyond its design point or in a direction other than intended. This is common with children's toys. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide children with toys employing fluidic actuators that can be bent, twisted, deformed and yet recover subsequently allowing the intended motion to be performed. Further, it would be beneficial by providing devices that employ fluidic actuators, and hence are essentially non-mechanical, to provide users not only of toys but other devices with driving mechanisms that are not susceptible to wear-out such as, by stripping drive gears, etc., thereby increasing their reliability and reducing noise. Fluidic devices allow for high efficiency, high power to size ratio, low cost, limited or single moving part(s) and allow for mechanical springless designs as well as functional reduction by providing a piston which is both pump and vibrator. |