Inchworm actuator

Abstract

An inchworm actuator particularly adapted to implementation of robotic muscles through loosening and tightening of tendon-like structures, including a piezoelectric stack which expands and contracts the actuator, and one or more paired sets of clamps which are engaged and disengaged by means of piezoelectric stacks. Some embodiments are IM2R, which manipulate non-looped tendons, and IM2B, which manipulate looped tendons in a ‘bridgelike’ structure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.