LAEST – ElectroStatic Transducers – actuators and energy generators

Location: Institute of Mechanical Intelligence

Lab head: Prof. Marco Fontana

Contact m.fontana AT santannapisa DOT it

Lab Team

Prof. Marco Fontana
Prof. Mechanical Engineeing

Ion-Dan Sîrbu
Institute of Mechanical Intelligence

Lab Mission

The LAEST Laboratory is a cutting-edge research facility dedicated to advancing sustainable electrostatic actuators and energy harvesters. As part of Work Package 6 (WP6), LAEST contributes to the development of environmentally friendly, high-performance transducers tailored for robotics and mechatronics applications.

The lab’s mission is to pioneer scalable, cost-effective, and biocompatible electrostatic devices, setting new standards in energy efficiency, lightweight construction, and sustainability. By integrating bioinspired design principles and leveraging advanced prototyping techniques, LAEST aims to drive innovation in biorobotics and mechatronic systems.

Key objectives include:

Developing efficient energy harvesting solutions for diverse applications.
Designing large-scale electrostatic actuators for low-power, portable robotics.
Innovating biocompatible and biodegradable electrostatic transducers.
Establishing industry standards for characterization and performance assessment of electrostatic devices.

Devices

Trek 10/10B-HS

The Trek 10/10B-HS is a high-speed, high-voltage power amplifier designed for precise control of output voltages up to ±10 kV DC or peak AC. It features an all-solid-state design, offering a high slew rate greater than 700 V/µs, wide bandwidth (DC to over 19.5 kHz), and low-noise operation. The amplifier’s four-quadrant active output stage can both source and sink current into reactive or resistive loads, making it suitable for applications such as material poling, electrostatic deflection, and AC or DC biasing.

Key Specifications:

Output Voltage Range: 0 to ±10 kV DC or peak AC
Output Current Range: Up to ±10 mA DC or 40 mA peak AC for 1
Slew Rate: Greater than 700 V/µs
Large Signal Bandwidth: DC to over 19.5 kHz (-3 dB)
DC Voltage Gain: Fixed at 1000

These features make the Trek 10/10B-HS ideal for driving capacitive loads with high accuracy and responsiveness.

Data sheet: download

Note: N/A

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Device

Optronis Sprinter-FHD

The Optronis Sprinter-FHD is a high-speed camera designed to capture rapid movements with exceptional clarity. It features a large, light-sensitive CMOS sensor capable of recording at over 1,800 frames per second (fps) in full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). Optronis GmbH+4https://cvtechnologies.com+4Optronis GmbH+4

Key Features:

High-Speed Imaging: Achieves up to 1,905 fps at full HD resolution, with higher frame rates possible at reduced resolutions.
Memory and Storage: Equipped with a fast 16 GB internal memory and an SSD hard drive bay for data storage and backup.
Versatile Lens Compatibility: Supports various lens mounts, including C-Mount, F-Mount, FMG-Mount, and M42, catering to diverse application needs.
TimeViewer Software: Includes TimeViewer software for Windows, facilitating image capture, playback, export, and analysis with object tracking capabilities.

This combination of high-speed performance and advanced features makes the Sprinter-FHD ideal for applications requiring detailed analysis of fast-moving objects, such as fault analysis and quality assurance in industrial settings.