A Pocket‐Sized Ten‐Channel High Voltage Power Supply for Soft Electrostatic Actuators

Abstract As soft electrostatic actuators find applications in bio‐inspired robotics, compact and lightweight high voltage electronics that independently address many actuators are required. Here, a pocket‐sized, battery‐powered, 10‐channel high voltage power supply (HVPS) is presented, which independently addresses each channel up to 10 kV. The HVPS uses one HV amplifier to create a HV rail and each output connects to the rail via custom optocouplers that are pulse‐width modulated to vary their conductance. These optocouplers distribute charges to and from electrostatic devices at each output, creating a charge‐controlled driving scheme that can generate independent and nearly arbitrary actuation waveforms for each channel. The HVPS weighs 250 g and measures 8.4 cm × 13.3 cm × 2 cm, about the size of a smartphone. The HVPS is characterized when driving hydraulically amplified self‐healing electrostatic (HASEL) actuators. While powering a 5 nF actuator, the output of the HVPS reaches 8 kV in 100 ms and drives a 1.5 nF actuator at 100 Hz (0 to 5.4 kV). The HVPS powers an active surface consisting of an array of HASELs and generates undulatory locomotion of a soft robotic inchworm, highlighting the potential for compact HV electronics that power multi‐degree‐of‐freedom robotic systems based on electrostatic devices.