Patent ID: 7870808

Claim:
A flexible actuator capable of carrying out a swinging operation and a rotating operation, comprising: a base member; a rotating member that is held on the base member so as to rotate freely thereon; a displacement member that is capable of being displaced in a direction that is substantially same as a rotation shaft direction of the rotating member; an elastic mechanism that is secured to the base member, for accumulating and releasing elastic energy in accordance with a distance to the displacement member; a transmission member that is connected to the displacement member so as to allow the distance relative to the displacement member to be adjusted by three or more coupling mechanisms; a protruding member that is provided on the rotating member at a position off a rotation center of the rotating member in a protruding manner to be pressed against the transmission member by force generated by energy released from the elastic mechanism; and a control device for changing a relative position and a relative angle between the displacement member and the transmission member by controlling an adjusting operation of the distance relative to the coupling mechanisms.