Strain-programmable fiber-based artificial muscle

Artificial muscles may accelerate the development of robotics, haptics, and prosthetics. Although advances in polymer-based actuators have delivered unprecedented strengths, producing these devices at scale with tunable dimensions remains a challenge. We applied a high-throughput iterative fiber-dra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2019-07, Vol.365 (6449), p.145-150
Main Authors: Kanik, Mehmet, Orguc, Sirma, Varnavides, Georgios, Kim, Jinwoo, Benavides, Thomas, Gonzalez, Dani, Akintilo, Timothy, Tasan, C Cem, Chandrakasan, Anantha P, Fink, Yoel, Anikeeva, Polina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuators
Artificial muscles
Artificial Organs
Bimetals
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical materials
Carbon Fiber - chemistry
Carbon nanotubes
Coils (strip)
Deformation
Elastomers
Energy storage
Fibers
Glass transition temperature
Measuring instruments
Mechanical analysis
Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - chemistry
Muscles
Nanotechnology
Organic chemistry
Polymers
Polymethyl Methacrylate - chemistry
Prostheses and Implants
Prosthetics
Rapid quenching (metallurgy)
Robotics
Sheaths
Stretching
Thermal energy
Thermal expansion
Transition temperatures
Twisting
Work capacity
Yarns
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Summary:Artificial muscles may accelerate the development of robotics, haptics, and prosthetics. Although advances in polymer-based actuators have delivered unprecedented strengths, producing these devices at scale with tunable dimensions remains a challenge. We applied a high-throughput iterative fiber-drawing technique to create strain-programmable artificial muscles with dimensions spanning three orders of magnitude. These fiber-based actuators are thermally and optically controllable, can lift more than 650 times their own weight, and withstand strains of >1000%. Integration of conductive nanowire meshes within these fiber-based muscles offers piezoresistive strain feedback and demonstrates long-term resilience across >10 deformation cycles. The scalable dimensions of these fiber-based actuators and their strength and responsiveness may extend their impact from engineering fields to biomedical applications.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aaw2502