This paper presents a novel design solution for increasing the stroke of membrane dielectric
elastomer actuators (DEAs), based on a permanent magnet (PM) biasing mechanism. DEA
transducers have proven to represent an effective means for the realization of large-
deformation, fast, and low-power consumption mechatronic devices. In order to obtain large
actuation strokes, a membrane DEA must be pre-loaded with a biasing mechanism, eg, a
spring or a mass. This paper introduces PMs as a biasing element and presents their …