Artificial muscles comprising a partially insulated electrode pair and methods for optimizing voltage polarity conditions in the artificial muscles

An artificial muscle system comprising:

• an artificial muscle comprising:
• an electrode pair comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode each comprising a plurality of electrode segments;
• an electrical insulator membrane fixed to one or more insulated electrode segments of the first electrode and one or more opposite insulated electrode segments of the second electrode;
• a housing comprising an electrode region and an expandable fluid region;
• the electrode pair positioned in the electrode region of the housing, the first electrode fixed to a first surface of the housing and the second electrode fixed to a second surface of the housing;
• and
• a dielectric fluid housed within the housing;
• and
• a power supply including a positive terminal and a negative terminal, the positive terminal electrically coupled to the one or more insulated electrode segments of the first electrode and the one or more opposite insulated electrode segments of the second electrode, the negative terminal electrically coupled to one or more non-insulated electrode segments of the first electrode and one or more opposite non-insulated electrode segments of the second electrode,
• wherein the electrode pair is actuatable between a non-actuated state and an actuated state such that actuation from the non-actuated state to the actuated state directs the dielectric fluid into the expandable fluid region.

A method for actuating an artificial muscle, the method comprising:

• electrically coupling a negative terminal and a positive terminal of a power supply to an electrode pair of the artificial muscle, the artificial muscle comprising:
• a housing having an electrode region and an expandable fluid region;
• the electrode pair comprising a first electrode electrically coupled to the negative terminal of the power supply, and a second electrode electrically coupled to the positive terminal of the power supply, the electrode pair positioned in the electrode region of the housing;
• and
• an electrical insulator membrane fixed to the second electrode, the electrical insulator membrane comprising a first electrical insulator layer and a second electrical insulator layer positioned between the first electrical insulator layer and the second electrode;
• and
• applying a voltage from the power supply to the electrode pair of the artificial muscle, thereby actuating the electrode pair from a non-actuated state to an actuated state such that dielectric fluid is directed into the expandable fluid region of the housing and expands the expandable fluid region.