The" DARPA" Robotics Challenge | |
Odd John User ID: 31664227 United States 10/16/2013 08:15 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
AnonCh4rl1 User ID: 48403635 United Kingdom 10/16/2013 08:43 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Artificial muscles lift heavy loads Human-like artificial muscles that can extend to five times their original length while lifting loads 80 times their own weight have been developed by researchers in Singapore. Made from polymers, the artificial muscles mimic the operation of their natural counterparts by contracting and expanding rapidly in response to electrical stimuli. This development is a first for robotics and could pave the way towards a new generation of more efficient, greener and cheaper robots. The core of the breakthrough comes in the use of dielectric elastomers to form the muscles. In theory, such materials can stretch over 10 times their original length without breaking – enabling them to undertake a range of operations while still carrying heavy loads of many times their own weight. This is unlike today's artificial muscles that are based on hydraulic designs and only capable of lifting loads up to half of their own weight. "Our materials mimic human muscle, responding quickly to electrical impulses, instead of slowly [like] mechanisms driven by hydraulics," says lead researcher Adrian Koh, of the National University of Singapore, adding that robots with their artificial muscles would move smoothly, unlike their hydraulic counterparts. "Robots equipped with such muscles will be able to function in a more human-like manner – and outperform humans in strength." Energy harvesting The muscles also have another important potential application, according to the team. While originally designed to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, they can also work the other way by generating and storing energy harvested from mechanical movements. According to Koh, a 10-kg muscle-based "soft generator" would be capable of generating electrical energy at the same rate as a one-tonne electrical turbine. In terms of storage, the artificial muscle acts much like a capacitor that is able to reach full capacity very quickly, offering rapid charge times. Read the rest: [link to physicsworld.com] |