Flexible piezoelectric motor based on an acoustic fiber

A flexible, long (500 mm) and thin (diameter 0.8 mm) steel wire capable of transferring mechanical power from the stator of a piezoelectric motor to t he rotor is presented. We experimentally demonstrate that the steel wire, a cting as a waveguide and here called "acoustic fiber" by optical analogy, c an transfer good mechanical power (maximum torque 1.4x10(-5) N m, maximum r otational velocity 3200 rpm) with the unique property of high flexibility. The fiber is well suited to a variety of different applications in which th e source of the mechanical power must be at a distance from the load. (C) 2 000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)01438-8].