Patent ID: 7384526

Claim:
An actuator, comprising: a conduit having a length, an interior cross-section, and first and second ends; a porous sintered body, comprising a plurality of packed insulating particles and a plurality of interstices between said insulating particles, said porous sintered body disposed within said conduit spanning said interior cross-section; a movable piston having a stroke length of up to 7 centimeters fixedly joined to said conduit second end; a fluid reservoir in communication with said conduit first end, said fluid reservoir containing a quantity of a conducting fluid media, said conducting fluid media filling first and second ends of said conduit, said plurality of interstices, and a void space ahead of said movable piston, wherein said fluid acts against a moveable outward facing surface of said movable piston; a first electrode disposed in said conduit first end proximate said porous sintered body, and a second electrode disposed in said conduit second end proximate said porous sintered body; and power supply means for applying a potential between said first and second electrodes.