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Artificial muscles, also known as muscle-like actuators, are materials or devices that mimic natural muscle. They can change their stiffness, reversibly contract, expand or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus such as voltage, current, pressure or temperature. Artificial muscles are made from a variety of materials, including polymers, carbon nanotubes, and human proteins. They can be constructed from ordinary fishing line and sewing thread, and can lift 100 times more weight and generate 100 times more power than a human muscle of the same length and weight.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Materials | Fishing line, sewing thread, twisted carbon nanotubes filled with paraffin, shape-memory alloys, liquid crystalline elastomers, metallic alloys, combinations of cyclic olefin copolymer elastomer (COCe) and high-density polyethylene |
| Strength | 100 times more weight than a human muscle of the same length and weight, 200 times stronger than human muscle |
| Contraction | Contract at speeds similar to human muscles, contract back and forth |
| Expansion | Expand within one component due to an external stimulus |
| Rotation | Rotate within one component due to an external stimulus |
| Actuation responses | Contraction, expansion, and rotation |
| Actuation | Conventional motors and pneumatic linear or rotary actuators do not qualify as artificial muscles |
| Power-to-weight ratio | High |
| Heat resistance | High |
| Impact resistance | High |
| Density | Low |
| Fatigue strength | High |
| Force generation | High |
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What You'll Learn
Artificial muscles can be made from a combination of two polymers
Artificial muscles can also be made from commercially available polymer fibres, such as polyethylene fishing line or nylon sewing thread. By twisting the fibre and winding the twisted fibre into a coil, heating causes the coil to tighten up and shorten by up to 49%. This is because, unlike most materials, a (untwisted) polymer fibre shortens when heated—up to about 4% for a 250 K increase in temperature.
Artificial muscles can also be made from twisted carbon nanotubes filled with paraffin, which are 200 times stronger than human muscle. Shape-memory alloys (SMAs), liquid crystalline elastomers, and metallic alloys can also be used to make artificial muscles. These materials can be deformed and then returned to their original shape when exposed to heat.
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Artificial muscles can be made from fishing line or sewing thread
A polymer fibre, such as polyethylene fishing line or nylon sewing thread, shortens when heated. By twisting the fibre and winding the twisted fibre into a coil, heating causes the coil to tighten up and shorten by up to 49%.
Artificial muscles can also be made from a combination of single strands of fibres of two different polymers, cyclic olefin copolymer elastomer (COCe) and high-density polyethylene. The COCe elastomer is stretched by a "cold drawing" technique, which subsequently bonds the two fibres and places them in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) coating. After releasing the stretch, it retracts to form a spring-like structure that can lift objects more than 650 times its own weight and withstand tensions greater than 1000%.
Artificial muscles can also be made from twisted carbon nanotubes filled with paraffin, which are 200 times stronger than human muscle. They can also be made from shape-memory alloys (SMAs), liquid crystalline elastomers, and metallic alloys that can be deformed and then returned to their original shape when exposed to heat.
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Artificial muscles can be made from human proteins
Artificial muscles, also known as muscle-like actuators, are materials or devices that mimic natural muscle and can change their stiffness, reversibly contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus. They are made from a variety of materials, including polymers, carbon nanotubes, and human proteins.
The team says this new type of artificial muscle is biocompatible, so it could be matched to specific tissues and used in the body for implants or reconstructive medicine. Along with potential applications in soft robotics or prosthetics, artificial muscles made from human proteins offer several advantages over other materials. They are biocompatible, which means they can be used in the body without causing an immune response. They are also flexible, versatile, and have a high power-to-weight ratio, making them ideal for a wide range of applications.
In addition to human proteins, artificial muscles can also be made from a variety of other materials. For example, artificial muscles composed of twisted carbon nanotubes filled with paraffin are 200 times stronger than human muscle. Shape-memory alloys (SMAs), liquid crystalline elastomers, and metallic alloys can also function as artificial muscles when deformed and then returned to their original shape when exposed to heat.
Another example of an artificial muscle is one made from a combination of single strands of fibers of two different polymers, cyclic olefin copolymer elastomer (COCe) and high-density polyethylene. The COCe elastomer is stretched by a “cold drawing” technique, which subsequently bonds the two fibers and places them in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) coating. After releasing the stretch, it retracts to form a spring-like structure that can lift objects more than 650 times its own weight and withstand tensions greater than 1000%.
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Artificial muscles can be made from carbon nanotubes
Artificial muscles can be made from a combination of single strands of fibres of two different polymers, cyclic olefin copolymer elastomer (COCe) and high-density polyethylene. The COCe elastomer is stretched by a “cold drawing” technique, which subsequently bonds the two fibres and places them in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) coating. After releasing the stretch, it retracts to form a spring-like structure that can lift objects more than 650 times its own weight and withstand tensions greater than 1000%.
Artificial muscles can also be made from ordinary fishing line and sewing thread, which can lift 100 times more weight and generate 100 times more power than a human muscle of the same length and weight. By twisting the fibre and winding the twisted fibre into a coil, heating causes the coil to tighten up and shorten by up to 49%.
Another source mentions that artificial muscles can be made from twisted carbon nanotubes filled with paraffin, which are 200 times stronger than human muscle. Shape-memory alloys (SMAs), liquid crystalline elastomers, and metallic alloys can also function as artificial muscles. These materials can be deformed and then returned to their original shape when exposed to heat.
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Artificial muscles can be made from shape-memory alloys
SMAs are a type of artificial muscle that can be deformed and then returned to their original shape when exposed to heat. This makes them ideal for use in soft robotics or prosthetics, as they can be matched to specific tissues and used in the body for implants or reconstructive medicine. SMAs offer heat resistance, impact resistance, low density, high fatigue strength, and large force generation during shape changes.
COCe is stretched by a "cold drawing" technique, which subsequently bonds the two fibres and places them in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) coating. After releasing the stretch, it retracts to form a spring-like structure that can lift objects more than 650 times its own weight and withstand tensions greater than 1000%.
Artificial muscles can also be constructed from ordinary fishing line and sewing thread. By twisting the fibre and winding the twisted fibre into a coil, heating causes the coil to tighten up and shorten by up to 49%. This type of artificial muscle can lift 100 times more weight and generate 100 times more power than a human muscle of the same length and weight.
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Frequently asked questions
Artificial muscles are made of materials or devices that mimic natural muscle. They can be made from a combination of two different polymers, such as cyclic olefin copolymer elastomer (COCe) and high-density polyethylene. They can also be made from ordinary fishing line and sewing thread, or twisted carbon nanotubes filled with paraffin.
Artificial muscles can change their stiffness, reversibly contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus such as voltage, current, pressure or temperature. They can be programmed by changing their structure so that their movements can be set in a specific direction in response to a certain stimulus.
Artificial muscles have a high flexibility, versatility and power-to-weight ratio compared with traditional rigid actuators. They can also lift much more weight than human muscles. For example, artificial muscles made from ordinary fishing line and sewing thread can lift 100 times more weight than a human muscle of the same length and weight.
Artificial muscles have potential applications in soft robotics, prosthetics, and reconstructive medicine. They could be used as implants as they can be matched to specific tissues in the body.
