High-Voltage Driver Electronics and PCB Design

End-to-end high-voltage electronics architecture and PCB implementation for untethered electrohydraulic robots.

Outcome

I architected and validated high-voltage driver electronics, including circuit design and PCB implementation, for untethered electrohydraulic robotic systems.

Problem

Untethered electrohydraulic systems require compact, reliable, and safe high-voltage electronics that interface cleanly with sensing and control layers. This project translated lab concepts into deployable electronics.

System

  • Power electronics: high-voltage driver topology for electrohydraulic artificial muscles
  • Interfaces: DAQ/embedded signal interface between control computer and amplifiers
  • Sensing: voltage/current monitoring for control and diagnostics
  • Integration: closed-loop operation with actuator mechanics and real-time control software

Contribution

  • Circuit and driver architecture
  • PCB design in Altium
  • Electrical validation and integration with robotic hardware
  • Closed-loop integration with sensing and real-time control software

Technical Stack

  • High-voltage electronics
  • PCB design (Altium)
  • Embedded interfaces
  • System integration and validation
  • Hardware-software co-design for robotic actuation

Key Results

  • Enabled untethered electrohydraulic system operation in a published robotic platform
  • Published in Science Advances (2024)

Media

Supplementary movie S4 (from the paper): five-pouch HALVE actuator lifting the custom high-voltage power supply.
Supplementary movie S5 (from the paper): untethered HALVE gripper demo with onboard electronics.

Skills

high-voltage electronics PCB design Altium embedded integration DAQ interfaces hardware validation