Position-movable lens driven by dielectric elastomer actuator

A position-movable lens driven by a dielectric elastomer (DE) actuator is demonstrated. With the aid of stretching/contracting of the DE actuator, the lens can do a reciprocating motion in the direction perpendicular to its optical axis. For our DE with 1-mm thick, a voltage pulse of V = 5.5 kV can cause the lens to shift similar to 1.7 mm. The stretching time and contracting time of the actuator are similar to 3.5 and similar to 4 s, respectively. When the lens integrates with another solid lens, a variable focal length can be obtained. Although the driving voltage is relatively high, the actuator is electrically stable and the power consumption is extremely low. Our lens with movable position has potential applications in imaging, information storage, beam steering, and bifocal technology. (C) 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)