Artificial Muscles

We've been hearing a lot about "artificial muscles," which allow robotic devices to perform human-like motions. And while most of them have been produced in labs utilizing high-tech materials, a new type could be made by hobbyists using a 3D printer.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a lightweight, wearable textile exomuscle that uses sensors embedded in its fabric to detect a user's movement intentions and chip in extra force as needed. Initial tests show a significant boost in endurance.

Researchers have developed a new type of artificial muscle that’s entirely made out of natural proteins. Responding to changes in its environment allows the muscle to flex on demand, which could make it useful for implants, prosthetics or robots.

"Muscle shirt" may soon take on a whole new meaning. A team has found a way to use bacteria to produce synthetic muscle proteins, which can then be spun into fibers to make clothing, protective gear and biomedical implants and prosthetics.

Tiny robots could serve useful functions, but shrinking actuators has proven challenging. Now researchers at the University of Wollongong have made artificial muscles that surpass your puny natural ones, inspired by the “supercoiling” of DNA strands.

Scientists have combined a technique known as direct cell reprogramming with a new type of scaffold to ensure transplanted cells thrive in their new environment, demonstrating the potential of the technique by treating severe muscle loss in mice.

Soft-bodied robots move via pneumatic "muscles" that are selectively inflated or deflated. And while the muscles themselves may be soft and squishy, they're usually hooked up to hard, unwieldy pumps. A new pump, however, is both small and flexible.

Heart failure often requires a transplant of the whole organ. Now scientists at EPFL have developed an artificial aorta that can help pump blood, taking some of the pressure off the heart to reduce or even eliminate the need for a transplant.

If swarms of tiny robots are ever going to be used for purposes such as exploring disaster sites, then they'd better be rugged. A bot created at the EPFL research institute seems to fit the bill, as it can withstand being squished by a fly swatter.

We've watched with interest as subsequent developments have allowed RoboBee to fly, swim, hover, perch and lose its tether. Now it's become the first microrobot to achieve controlled flight using soft artificial muscles.

If you build a soft robot, you don't want to put rigid actuators inside. With that in mind, scientists have created pliable artificial muscles.

​Although we've seen robotic fish designed to unobtrusively study marine life, scientists more often use remote-operated vehicles with noisy propellers that scare animals. That could eventually change, however, thanks to the development of a totally silent, transparent, soft-bodied robotic eel.