Three university teams have developed artificial muscles capable of lifting 1,000 times their own weight. Among them, a team comes from the University of Bordeaux.
Their ultimate goal is that the fibers used in their research are involved in the manufacture of prosthetic limbs, robots, exoskeletons or in the manufacture of clothing.
A principle common to all three teams to develop artificial muscle
The three teams conducted their work with the same principle: a coiled substance can stretch like a muscle.
The team from the University of Texas is part of the basis to realize that any material, thread type sewing, for example, can create a structure similar to a muscle supporting more weight than the muscle of 'a human. The university team has developed this false muscle fiber, using inexpensive materials, such as bamboo or silk.
The team of the University of Bordeaux has, for its part, made use of graphene and polymer for the creation of fibers necessary for the artificial muscle.
For its part, the team under the direction of Mehmet Kanik developed a material that wraps itself automatically. She then tested these fibers on a miniature artificial biceps.
The researchers hope to see the system of this artificial muscle used for other things
According to the researchers, simply twisting a material that creates a muscle-like structure can be used to create clothing that matches weather conditions.
Thus, a textile knitted with fibers can react to moisture, becoming more porous, and vary its insulation.
In the same way, all hope that these developed fibers can be used in the manufacture of robots, but also during the manufacture of the exoskeleton.
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