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Artificial muscles with their own hands: manufacturing and features

Modern robots can do much. But they are far from human ease and graceful movements. And the fault is imperfect artificial muscles. Scientists of many countries are trying to solve this problem. The article will be devoted to a brief review of their amazing inventions.

Polymeric muscles from Singaporean scientists

A step towards more humanoid robots was recently made by inventors from the National University of Singapore. Today androids-heavyweights move due to the operation of hydraulic systems. A significant disadvantage of the latter is a small speed. Artificial muscles for robots, presented by Singaporean scientists, allow cyborgs not only to lift objects that are 80 times heavier than their own weight, but also to do it as quickly as a human being.

Innovative development, stretching at a length of five times, helps to "bypass" robots even ants, which, as you know, can carry objects 20 times heavier than their own calf. Polymeric muscles have the following advantages:

  • Flexibility;
  • Striking strength;
  • Elasticity;
  • The ability to change its shape in a few seconds;
  • The ability to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy.

However, scientists are not going to stop on this - in their plans to create artificial muscles, which would allow the robot to lift the load, 500 times heavier than himself!

Discovery from Harvard - muscles from electrodes and elastomer

The inventors who work at the School of Applied and Engineering Sciences of Harvard University, presented qualitatively new artificial muscles for the so-called "soft" robots. According to scientists, their offspring, consisting of a soft elastomer and electrodes, in whose composition carbon nanotubes, in its qualities is not inferior to human muscles!

All existing robots today, as already mentioned, are based on drives whose mechanism is hydraulics or pneumatics. Such systems operate by means of compressed air or chemical reactions. This does not allow you to design a robot that is as soft and fast as a human. Harvard scientists have eliminated this shortcoming, creating a qualitatively new concept of artificial muscles for robots.

The new "musculature" of cyborgs is a multi-layered structure in which nanotube electrodes created in Clark's laboratory control the upper and lower layers of flexible elastomers, which are the brainchild of scientists already from the University of California. Such muscles are ideal for both "soft" androids, and for laparoscopic instruments in surgery.

On this remarkable invention, the Harvard scientists did not stop. One of the latest developments is a biorobot-skate. Its constituents are rat heart muscle cells, gold and silicone.

The invention of the Bauchman group: another type of artificial muscles based on carbon nanotubes

Back in 1999, in the Australian town of Kirchberg, at the 13th meeting of the International Winter School on Electronic Properties of Innovative Materials, scientist Ray Bauhman, working at Allied Signal and heading an international research group, made a presentation. His message was on the subject of making artificial muscles.

The developers under the leadership of Ray Bauchmann were able to present carbon nanotubes in the form of nanowave sheets. The tubes in this invention were in every way intertwined and intertwined. The nano-paper itself looked like usual - it could be held in hands, cut into strips and pieces.

The experiment of the group was very simple - the scientists attached pieces of nano-paper to different sides of the adhesive tape and lowered this structure into a salt electroconductive solution. After the low-voltage battery was switched on, both nanowires extended, especially the one connected to the negative pole of the electric battery; Then the paper bent. The model of the artificial muscle functioned.

Sam Bauhman believes that his invention after a qualitative upgrade will significantly change the robotics, because such carbon muscles in flexing / extension create an electrical potential - they produce energy. In addition, such a muscle is three times stronger than a human, can function at extremely high and low temperatures, using for its work a low current and voltage. It is quite possible to use it for prosthetics of human muscles.

Texas University: artificial muscles from fishing line and sewing thread

One of the most striking is the work of an academic group from the University of Texas, which is located in Dallas. She managed to get a model of artificial musculature, in strength and power resembling a jet engine - 7.1 hp / kg! Such muscles are hundreds of times stronger and more productive than human ones. But the most surprising thing here is that they were constructed from primitive materials - high-strength fishing line made of polymer and sewing thread.

Nutrition of such a muscle is a temperature drop. Provides his sewing thread, covered with a thin layer of metal. However, in the future, the muscles of robots can be fed from the differences in the temperatures of their environment. This property, by the way, can be used for weather-adapted clothes and other similar devices.

If the polymer is twisted in one direction, it will contract sharply when heated and rapidly expand upon cooling, and if in the other, it is in the reverse direction. Such a simple design can, for example, rotate the overall rotor at a speed of 10 thousand rpm. Plus such artificial muscles from the line are that they are able to contract up to 50% of their original length (human only by 20%). In addition, they are distinguished by amazing endurance - this muscle is not "tired" even after a million repetitions of the action!

From Texas to the Amur

The discovery of scientists from Dallas has inspired many scientists from all over the world. Successfully to repeat their experience, however, it was possible only to one robotics - Alexander Nikolaevich Semochkin, head of the laboratory of information technologies at BSPU.

Initially, the inventor patiently waited for new articles in Science about the massive introduction of the invention of American colleagues. Since this did not happen, the Amur scientist decided with his like-minded people to repeat the wonderful experience and create by themselves artificial muscles made of copper wire and fishing line. But, alas, the copy was not viable.

Inspiration from Skolkovo

Back to the almost abandoned experiences of Alexander Semochkin made the case - the scientist was at a robotic conference in Skolkovo, where he met with like-minded people from Zelenograd, the head of Neurobotics. As it turned out, the engineers of this firm are also busy creating muscles from the woods, which are quite viable.

Returning to his homeland, Alexander Nikolayevich began to work with new strength. For a month and a half he was able not only to collect working artificial muscles, but also to create a machine for twisting them, which made the turns of the line strictly repeatable.

The Annunciation Artificial Musculature

To create a five-centimeter muscle, AN Semochkin needs several meters of wire and 20 cm of ordinary fishing line. The apparatus for "producing" muscles, incidentally, printed on a 3D printer, twists the muscle for 10 minutes. Then the structure is placed for half an hour in an oven heated to +180 degrees Celsius.

It is possible to activate such a muscle with the help of an electric current - it is enough to connect its source to the wire. As a result, it begins to heat up and transfer its heat to the fishing line. The latter is stretched or contracted - depending on the type of muscle the machine has twisted.

Plans of the inventor

The new project of Alexander Semochkin is to "teach" the created muscles to return to the initial state more quickly. This can be helped by rapid cooling of the feeder wire - the scientist assumes that such a process will be faster underwater. After such a muscle is obtained, the first owner will be Iskanderus - anthropomorphic robot BSPU.

The scientist does not keep his invention secret - he puts the clips on "Youtube", and plans to write an article with detailed instructions for creating a machine that twists muscles from the line and wire.

Time does not stand still - artificial muscles, which we told you about, are already used in surgery for endo- and laparoscopic surgeries. And in the laboratory, "Disney" with their participation gathered a functioning hand.

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