from the artificial-muscles-should-run-on-artificial-sweetener dept.
Scientists at Linköping University have blurred the line between robot and organism by developing an artificial muscle that runs off of glucose and oxygen like its organic counterpart. Made of a special polymer, the new plastic muscles open the promise of implantable artificial muscles and micro-robots that can be powered like living organs.
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the Linköping team led by Edwin Jager, senior lecturer in Sensor and Actuator Systems in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, turned to muscles made out of a "polymer actuator" made from polypyrrole.
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To make an artificial muscle, the researchers formed the polymer into two layers with a thin membrane between them. When a charge is developed on one side, the ions in the polymer are expelled across the membrane and the sheet shrinks. Meanwhile, the sheet on the other side absorbs the electrons and expands. This makes the whole thing bend like a contracting muscle.According to Linköping, this charge can be applied from a battery, but it can also be derived from glucose and oxygen by doping the polymer with enzymes that enhance the reaction, burning the glucose for energy the same as a muscle does.
What would you do with artificial muscles?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 24 2019, @08:32PM (10 children)
Well, technically it's not a "muscle", but I believe everybody knows the answer...
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 24 2019, @08:50PM (1 child)
Fill the empty space between the Orange One's ears?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 25 2019, @08:21AM
Worst use of a muscle that I ever heard. Have you no respect for your own body?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 24 2019, @09:49PM (7 children)
Battlemechs?
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Tuesday June 25 2019, @12:02AM (6 children)
"Soft robotics"
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(Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday June 25 2019, @12:41AM (5 children)
aka Advanced Pocket Pussy :)
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday June 25 2019, @01:52AM (2 children)
That's just the start. You want soft robotics for "full service" robots that can navigate the human environment.
But this particular advance looks more useful for the Cyberpunk future where people are getting voluntary amputations of healthy limbs in order to replace them with superior robotic limbs. Only now you can just eat food and drink instead of plugging in or grafting a solar panel onto your bald head.
Here, have some blood [engadget.com].
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 26 2019, @01:53AM (1 child)
When the hardware goes bad it is connected to your bloodstream. Then inconveniences become life-threatening emergencies. Should some monitoring system or certain critical, sensitive componens fail and go sour, you might have minutes to get the thing physically removed AND get to the hospital for emergency treatment.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday June 26 2019, @02:35AM
Chop off all limbs and get proper nuclear powered ones.
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(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday June 25 2019, @02:45AM
I'm pretty sure most people will go for a nice pair of glutes.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 25 2019, @09:34AM
Advanced Pocket Pussy
Please supply link to crowd funding
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 25 2019, @02:24AM (1 child)
> What would you do with artificial muscles?
Leap tall buildings with a single bound!
(Score: 3, Touché) by c0lo on Tuesday June 25 2019, @08:27AM
The small print footnote on the "leap easy" packaging will read 'no warranties offered for landing'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford