Abstract: A motor-less pump includes: (a) a housing having an inlet provided to allow fluid flow into the housing and an outlet provided to allow fluid flow out of the housing; (b) an elastic diaphragm positioned in the housing such that motion in the elastic diaphragm drives the fluid flows at the inlet and the outlet of the housing; and (c) one or more electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuators each being provided on a surface of the elastic diaphragm, wherein the mechanical responses to electrical stimuli applied on the EMP actuators cause the motion in the diaphragm. The EMP actuators may include one or more bimorphs.

Abstract: A catheter includes an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator disposed in a steerable tip at the distal end of the catheter. When activated, the EMP actuator deflects the steerable tip through an angle between 0 and 270 degrees, thus permitting the operator to steer the steerable tip through the vasculature. The steerable tip also has at least a first relatively stiff region and a second relatively flexible region, and the EMP actuator is provided next to the first relatively stiff region so that the steerable tip may toward the flexible region when activated. In one implementation, an external interface allows a user to select by name one of many sets of control signals, with each set of control signals being signals calibrated for configuring the catheter to mimic a known catheter.

Abstract: A motor-less pump includes: (a) a housing having an inlet provided to allow fluid flow into the housing and an outlet provided to allow fluid flow out of the housing; (b) an elastic diaphragm positioned in the housing such that motion in the elastic diaphragm drives the fluid flows at the inlet and the outlet of the housing; and (c) one or more electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuators each being provided on a surface of the elastic diaphragm, wherein the mechanical responses to electrical stimuli applied on the EMP actuators cause the motion in the diaphragm. The EMP actuators may include one or more bimorphs.

Abstract: A motor-less pump includes: (a) a housing having an inlet provided to allow fluid flow into the housing and an outlet provided to allow fluid flow out of the housing; (b) an elastic diaphragm positioned in the housing such that motion in the elastic diaphragm drives the fluid flows at the inlet and the outlet of the housing; and (c) one or more electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuators each being provided on a surface of the elastic diaphragm, wherein the mechanical responses to electrical stimuli applied on the EMP actuators cause the motion in the diaphragm. The EMP actuators may include one or more bimorphs.

Abstract: An electromechanical polymer (EMP) transducer may include (a) one or more EMP layers each having a first operating characteristic; and (b) one or more EMP layers each having a second operating characteristic different from the first operating characteristic. The EMP transducer may include at least two EMP layers that are activated independently, and one or more EMP layers being configured to be a sensing layer. The sensing layer may sensitive to one or both of the operating characteristics (e.g., temperature, strain, pressure and their respective rates of change). Other operating characteristic may include resin type, modulus, film thicknesses, degrees of deformations, operating temperature ranges, a stretching ratio of the EMP layers, metallization patterns of electrodes, arrangements of active and inactive EMP layers, arrangements of irradiated EMP layers, arrangements of EMP layers acting as sensors, and arrangements of inactive layers of various degrees of stiffness.

Abstract: A catheter includes an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator disposed in a steerable tip at the distal end of the catheter. When activated, the EMP actuator deflects the steerable tip through an angle between 0 and 270 degrees, thus permitting the operator to steer the steerable tip through the vasculature. The steerable tip also has at least a first relatively stiff region and a second relatively flexible region, and the EMP actuator is provided next to the first relatively stiff region so that the steerable tip may toward the flexible region when activated. In one implementation, an external interface allows a user to select by name one of many sets of control signals, with each set of control signals being signals calibrated for configuring the catheter to mimic a known catheter.

Abstract: A catheter includes an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator disposed in a steerable tip at the distal end of the catheter. When activated, the EMP actuator deflects the steerable tip through an angle between 0 and 270 degrees, thus permitting the operator to steer the steerable tip through the vasculature. The steerable tip also has at least a first relatively stiff region and a second relatively flexible region, and the EMP actuator is provided next to the first relatively stiff region so that the steerable tip may toward the flexible region when activated. In one implementation, an external interface allows a user to select by name one of many sets of control signals, with each set of control signals being signals calibrated for configuring the catheter to mimic a known catheter.

Abstract: A retractable snap dome in a keyboard, serving as a force resistor for a key in a conventional manner, includes an additional collapsed state wherein the key can be retracted by an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator to a persistent down position. In one embodiment, the EMP actuator is a bimorph EMP actuator that can be actuated to bring the key from down position to up position, ready for conventional keyboard operation, and vice versa. Such operations allow the keyboard to have a desirable decreased thickness relative to conventional keyboards. Thus, a keyboard of the present invention finds application in ultra-slim electronic devices. When provided in a notebook computer wherein the keyboard is folded against a video or graphic display, the keyboard keys may be placed in the retracted down position, thereby preventing the keys from pressing against the video or graphical display with a force that may damage the display.

Abstract: A steerable guide wire including one or more electroactive polymer layers, wherein each EAP layer is disposed between a layer of a first electrode and a layer of a plurality of second electrodes.

Abstract: An electromechanical polymer (EMP) transducer may include (a) one or more EMP layers each having a first operating characteristic; and (b) one or more EMP layers each having a second operating characteristic different from the first operating characteristic. The EMP transducer may include at least two EMP layers that are activated independently, and one or more EMP layers being configured to be a sensing layer. The sensing layer may sensitive to one or both of the operating characteristics (e.g., temperature, strain, pressure and their respective rates of change). Other operating characteristic may include resin type, modulus, film thicknesses, degrees of deformations, operating temperature ranges, a stretching ratio of the EMP layers, metallization patterns of electrodes, arrangements of active and inactive EMP layers, arrangements of irradiated EMP layers, arrangements of EMP layers acting as sensors, and arrangements of inactive layers of various degrees of stiffness.

Abstract: A retractable snap dome in a keyboard, serving as a force resistor for a key in a conventional manner, includes an additional collapsed state wherein the key can be retracted by an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator to a persistent down position. In one embodiment, the EMP actuator is a bimorph EMP actuator that can be actuated to bring the key from down position to up position, ready for conventional keyboard operation, and vice versa. Such operations allow the keyboard to have a desirable decreased thickness relative to conventional keyboards. Thus, a keyboard of the present invention finds application in ultra-slim electronic devices. When provided in a notebook computer wherein the keyboard is folded against a video or graphic display, the keyboard keys may be placed in the retracted down position, thereby preventing the keys from pressing against the video or graphical display with a force that may damage the display.

Abstract: A motor-less pump includes: (a) a housing having an inlet provided to allow fluid flow into the housing and an outlet provided to allow fluid flow out of the housing; (b) an elastic diaphragm positioned in the housing such that motion in the elastic diaphragm drives the fluid flows at the inlet and the outlet of the housing; and (c) one or more electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuators each being provided on a surface of the elastic diaphragm, wherein the mechanical responses to electrical stimuli applied on the EMP actuators cause the motion in the diaphragm. The EMP actuators may include one or more bimorphs.

Abstract: A catheter includes an electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuator disposed in a steerable tip at the distal end of the catheter. When activated, the EMP actuator deflects the steerable tip through an angle between 0 and 270 degrees, thus permitting the operator to steer the steerable tip through the vasculature. The steerable tip also has at least a first relatively stiff region and a second relatively flexible region, and the EMP actuator is provided next to the first relatively stiff region so that the steerable tip may toward the flexible region when activated. In one implementation, an external interface allows a user to select by name one of many sets of control signals, with each set of control signals being signals calibrated for configuring the catheter to mimic a known catheter.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to implant a seal in a skull base defect. The seal is implanted using apparatus with deployable elements which pass up the nasal cavity into the area of the sphenoid sinus where they deploy and expand into useful conformations. A disk is inserted through the skull base defect into an interior side of the skull at the base defect, with a stalk extending through the skull base defect. The stalk is held outward from the skull base defect, holding the disk against the interior side of the skull while a conical mold is filled with bone cement. Once the cement has cured, the apparatus is removed, leaving the insert in the skull with the stalk surrounded by a cone of bone cement, creating a water tight seal in said skull base defect.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to implant a seal in a skull base defect. The seal is implanted using apparatus with deployable elements which pass up the nasal cavity into the area of the sphenoid sinus where they deploy and expand into useful conformations. A disk is inserted through the skull base defect into an interior side of the skull at the base defect, with a stalk extending through the skull base defect. The stalk is held outward from the skull base defect, holding the disk against the interior side of the skull while a conical mold is filled with bone cement. Once the cement has cured, the apparatus is removed, leaving the insert in the skull with the stalk surrounded by a cone of bone cement, creating a water tight seal in said skull base defect.