Biomimetic experts study natural structures or the way living things are organized and take advantage of some of their peculiarities to develop machines or algorithms inspired by them. Thus, at the beginning of 2017, an international team of researchers, among them scientists from the Center for Biomedical Technology of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, announced in the journal Nature Chemical Biology a technique that allows spinning artificial silk fibers in a similar way to what spiders make with their webs. The threads retain the interesting mechanical properties of their biological counterpart – a substance that is also extremely resistant – and could be applied, for example in tissue engineering.
Now, another group of experts, in this case from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University in New York, has presented in Nature Communications an artificial muscle that mimics the actions and movements of the natural models on which it is based. The device, which can be manufactured on a 3D printer, does not need external compressors or complex pressure regulators to function. In addition, it has an extension capacity per gram fifteen times greater than that of a natural muscle and, according to its developers, it is capable of lifting a thousand times its own weight.
Soft and versatile
In a statement from the aforementioned American institution, it is explained that, to date, there was no material that so perfectly mimics the functioning of muscle tissues . The actuators of today’s robots, that is, the devices that transform different types of energy to generate movements, usually take advantage of hydraulic or pneumatic processes and elastic compounds that expand when liquids or gases are introduced into them. The external components that regulate all these processes cannot be downsized properly, limiting the manufacture of automata that can move and work independently.
“We have made great strides in designing the minds of robots, but their bodies are still primitive,” says Professor of Robotics Engineering Hod Lipson, who participated in the study. “In this sense, we have placed a large piece of the puzzle and, as in biology, our new muscle can be molded and restructured in a thousand different ways. We have overcome one of the final barriers that prevented us from building machines similar to living beings, “says Lipson.
To do this, they devised a silicone matrix in which they included ethanol, distributed in microbubbles. The material they have obtained is elastic and can deal with significant changes in volume. In addition, it is easy and cheap to manufacture, you can use a 3D printer to give it the desired shape and it uses compounds that do not harm the environment. In early tests, the artificial muscle, which is powered by a cable (8 volts), managed to expand 900% when electrically heated to 80 ° C.
Revolution in robotics
“It can push, pull, bend, lift weights … It’s the kind of soft muscle that the new robots will need,” explains Aslan Miriyev, a materials scientist who coordinated the research.
Miriyev and his collaborators are convinced that their progress can be used very soon in those areas where robots already interact with humans, such as on assembly lines or in certain distribution networks. Equipped with their new bionic actuators, the androids will be able to move in a much more natural way and will be able to grasp and manipulate objects just as we would . This will allow them to carry out more delicate tasks, such as providing medical care or supporting disabled patients.
For now, the researchers have already announced that they will continue working on their design, to improve the response of cybermuscle. In the future, they plan for an artificial intelligence algorithm to control their movements, which, over time, will allow them to perfectly mimic those that any animal would do.
Reference: Soft Material for Soft Actuators. Nature Communications. Aslan Miriyev et al. DOI: 10.1038 / 10.1038 / s41467-017-00685-3
Images: Aslan Miriyev / Columbia University
