Printed unmanned aerial vehicles using paper-based electroactive polymer actuators and organic ion gel transistors

Abstract

We combined lightweight and mechanically flexible printed transistors and actuators with a paper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) glider prototype to demonstrate electrically controlled glide path modification in a lightweight, disposable UAV system. The integration of lightweight and mechanically flexible electronics that is offered by printed electronics is uniquely attractive in this regard because it enables flight control in an inexpensive, disposable, and easily integrated system. Here, we demonstrate electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators that are directly printed into paper that act as steering elements for low cost, lightweight paper UAVs. We drive these actuators by using ion gel-gated organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) that are ideally suited as drive transistors for these actuators in terms of drive current and frequency requirements. By using a printing-based fabrication process on a paper glider, we are able to deliver an attractive path to the realization of inexpensive UAVs for ubiquitous sensing and monitoring flight applications.