Design and Evaluation of PVC Gel-Based Haptic Actuators

Abstract

Electroactive polymers (EAPs) are attractive for compact haptic actuators due to their softness, low weight, and fast response, making them ideal for handheld devices. Nonetheless, conventional EAPs, such as dielectric elastomer actuators and dielectric liquid crystal elastomer actuators, require high voltages and bulky setups to produce sufficient output. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gels work under low electric fields and provide large deformation, but their force output remains limited. Here, we present a fabrication method that increases PVC gel’s physical cross-linking density, thereby enhancing force capability. With this improvement, we developed a fingertip haptic device, capable of delivering >0.3N normal haptic feedback. Our actuators showed 2.9× higher stress, 4.9× greater area strain than previously developed EAPs, and 1.5× higher strain than standard PVC gels. The results highlight PVC gels as a promising low-voltage solution for next-generation compact haptic interfaces.