Dielectric elastomers, the name most commonly given to a new class of electroactive polymer actuators discovered in the early 1990s, are an exciting new actuator technology. The field is growing rapidly, whether measured by number of research papers, performance of the technology, or diversity of poten-tial applications. This first book devoted exclusively to dielectric elastomers therefore seems timely, and the introduction is a good place to step back and take a big picture look at where the field has been and where it is going.