Logan Steele
While natural muscles are incredible material systems that enable the production of large deformations through repetitive molecular motions, artificial muscles, or muscle-like actuators, are human-made materials or devices that mimic natural muscle movements. These artificial muscles are made from polymers that can change their stiffness, contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus such as voltage, current, pressure, or temperature. The development of these artificial muscles has a wide range of potential applications, from robotics to the automobile and aviation industries.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Muscle | Artificial Muscle |
| Type of Artificial Muscle | Electro-Active Polymers (EAPs) |
| Other Names | Muscle-like actuators |
| Material Used | Polymer gels, Polyacrylonitrile-polypyrrole (PAN-PPY), Polyvinylachohol (PVA) gel fibers, Nylon fibers, etc. |
| Properties | Can change their stiffness, reversibly contract, expand, or rotate within one component |
| Stimulus | Voltage, Current, Pressure, or Temperature |
| Actuation Responses | Contraction, Expansion, and Rotation |
| Applications | Robotics, Industrial actuators, Powered exoskeletons, Components in the automobile and aviation industries |
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What You'll Learn
Artificial muscles from nylon fibres
Natural muscles are incredible material systems that enable the production of large deformations through repetitive molecular motions. These motions can be replicated by artificial muscles, which are materials or devices that mimic natural muscle movements and can change their stiffness, contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus such as voltage, current, pressure, or temperature.
Artificial muscles have a wide range of potential applications, from robotics to the automobile and aviation industries. Researchers at MIT have developed one of the simplest and most affordable systems for creating artificial muscles using nylon fibres. The key to this approach is shaping and heating the fibres in a specific way.
Nylon fibres, such as those found in fishing lines and sewing threads, have an unusual property: when heated, they shorten in length but expand in diameter. By twisting and coiling the fibres, the amount of contraction can be increased, and the direction of contraction can be altered to create bending motions. This process can be optimized by altering the cross-section of the fibre from round to rectangular or square.
The MIT team's advance was to directly harness the motion of the nylon fibres without requiring extra mechanical parts, resulting in a simple and inexpensive approach to creating artificial muscles with good cycling longevity. This technology has potential applications in robotics, industrial actuators, and powered exoskeletons.
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Polymer gels for muscle-like actuation
The human muscle is an incredible material system that enables the production of large deformations through repetitive molecular motions. However, the electric motors used in robotics are limited by their weight, size, complex transmissions, and restrictive shapes. This has prompted researchers to explore alternatives, such as pneumatics and hydraulics, which have achieved some success.
Polymer gels have emerged as a promising alternative for muscle-like actuation due to their unique properties. These gels are intermediate between liquids and solids, consisting of a polymer network and interstitial fluid. The interaction between the polymer and the liquid defines the gel's properties, including its equilibrium and dynamic aspects. One of the key advantages of polymer gels is their ability to exhibit abrupt volume changes in response to variations in external conditions, such as temperature, solvent, light, pH, and electric fields. This makes them ideal candidates for artificial muscles, as they can mimic the contractile behaviour of natural muscles.
Recent studies have investigated the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel as a soft actuator for artificial muscle applications. The addition of graphene oxide (GO) to PVC gels has shown promising results, with enhanced displacement, increased force production, and higher power output. Additionally, the electromechanical performance of PVC gels has been demonstrated through single-layer and stacked multi-layer actuators, where increasing the voltage leads to greater displacement.
Another type of polymer gel that has gained attention is the polyacrylonitrile-polypyrrole (PAN-PPY) gel, which can generate forces comparable to those of human muscles. Researchers have also explored the use of contractile gels in robotic and prosthetic prototypes, although challenges related to efficiency, power density, energy storage, and transmission need to be addressed before they can become a viable alternative in mechanical design. Furthermore, the kinetics of gel contraction is an important consideration, as it affects the response time of the artificial muscle.
In conclusion, polymer gels hold great potential for muscle-like actuation due to their responsiveness to external stimuli and their ability to mimic natural muscle behaviour. With ongoing research and development, polymer gels may revolutionize robot actuator design and lead to advancements in various fields, including robotics, prosthetics, and biomimetic machines.
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EAPs vs PAMs
Electro-Active Polymers (EAPs) and Pneumatic Artificial Muscles (PAMs) are types of artificial muscles, also known as muscle-like actuators. These materials or devices mimic natural muscle behaviour and can change their stiffness, reversibly contract, expand or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus such as voltage, current, pressure or temperature.
EAPs offer several advantages over traditional actuators, including lower weight, faster response times, higher power density and quieter operation. They are primarily actuated using feedback control loops or closed-loop control systems. EAP-based artificial muscles are particularly useful for applications requiring light weight, low power consumption, resilience and agility, such as robots, industrial actuators and powered exoskeletons.
PAMs, on the other hand, operate by filling a pneumatic bladder with pressurised air. The subsequent isotropic volume expansion is confined by braided wires encircling the bladder, resulting in a linear contraction along the axis of the actuator. PAMs can be classified by their operation and design, including pneumatic or hydraulic functionality, overpressure or underpressure operation, and various membrane configurations.
One commonly used PAM is the McKibben Muscle, a cylindrically braided muscle developed in the 1950s. This muscle can lift and generate 100 times more weight and power, respectively, compared to a human muscle of equivalent length and weight. PAMs constructed from polymer fibres, such as polyethylene fishing line or nylon sewing thread, can be wound into coils that contract with heat, mimicking the behaviour of human muscles.
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Natural gels vs artificial gels
Natural muscles are incredible material systems that enable the production of large deformations through repetitive molecular motions. Artificial muscles, on the other hand, are materials or devices that mimic natural muscle movements and can change their stiffness, contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus such as voltage, current, pressure, or temperature.
Polymers can be used to create artificial muscles that exhibit reversible physical deformations when stimulated by electricity. These polymer artificial muscles can be designed to have a lower risk of rupture than natural muscles and offer advantages such as lower weight, faster response times, higher power density, and quieter operation.
Natural gels, such as energy gels, are typically made from natural ingredients and provide a quick and convenient source of carbohydrates for endurance athletes. They may also contain added electrolytes, which can be beneficial during training and workouts. However, some natural gels may have a runny consistency or artificial additives and sweeteners, which are added to improve taste and texture.
Artificial gels, on the other hand, are human-made materials that can be designed for various purposes. For example, in the context of artificial muscles, polyelectrode gels and pyromellitamide gels are types of artificial gels that can be actuated by an electric field or chemical signals. In the context of nail care, gel nails are a type of artificial gel that is applied using a gel-based polish cured under a UV lamp, resulting in a shiny and natural-looking appearance. Gel nails are typically more flexible, easier to remove, and less likely to cause damage to natural nails compared to acrylic nails, but they are usually more expensive and require regular maintenance.
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Potential applications of artificial muscles
Artificial muscles, also known as muscle-like actuators, are materials or devices that mimic natural muscle movements and changes. They can contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus, such as voltage, current, pressure, or temperature.
Robotics and Prosthetics
The most commonly discussed application of artificial muscles is in the field of robotics and prosthetics. The high flexibility, versatility, and power-to-weight ratio of artificial muscles make them ideal for creating advanced robotic systems and improving prosthetic devices. They can provide precise and automated control, making robots more agile and efficient.
Biomedical Devices and Microsystems
Artificial muscles can be used in various biomedical devices and microsystems, including micro soft swimmers that work in liquid environments like blood. The magnetic actuation method allows wireless control and power transfer for devices operating inside the human body. Additionally, the low operating voltage of certain artificial muscles, such as IPMCs, makes them suitable for biomedical applications.
Biomimetic Machines and Industrial Actuators
Artificial muscle technologies have potential applications in biomimetic machines, including industrial actuators and powered exoskeletons. These machines can mimic human or animal movements, providing assistance in various industrial and physical tasks.
Targeted Drug Delivery
Chemomechanical polymers, which are used in artificial muscles, can respond to specific chemical signals. This makes them promising for targeted drug delivery systems, where the release of drugs can be controlled by the presence of specific chemicals or initiators.
Soft Robotics
Soft robotics is another area where artificial muscles can find applications. The lightweight and flexible nature of artificial muscles, especially electroactive polymers (EAPs), makes them suitable for creating soft and compliant robotic systems that can interact safely with humans and adapt to dynamic environments.
The potential applications of artificial muscles highlight their versatility and the possibility of disrupting multiple industries with their unique capabilities.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscles are incredible material systems that enable the production of large deformations through repetitive molecular motions.
Artificial muscles, also known as muscle-like actuators, are materials or devices that mimic natural muscle movements and can change their stiffness, contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus.
Artificial muscles are made of polymers, such as polyacrylamide, polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile-polypyrrole (PAN-PPY), and polyvinylachohol (PVA). They can also be made from ordinary materials like nylon fibers, fishing line, and sewing thread.
Polymers offer the potential for high flexibility, versatility, and power-to-weight ratio compared to traditional rigid actuators. They can exhibit abrupt volume changes in response to external conditions, mimicking muscle movements. Polymer-based artificial muscles also have potential applications in robotics, aviation, automobiles, and powered exoskeletons.
While the development of polymer-based artificial muscles is promising, there are still fundamental issues to address, such as efficiency, power density, energy storage, heat dissipation, and actuator design. Additionally, the performance of these artificial muscles needs to be compared favorably with existing actuators to be considered a viable alternative in mechanical design.
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