Biologically inspired technologies using artificial muscles

Since the Stone Age, people have tried to reproduce the human appearance, functions, and intelligence using art and technology. Any aspect that represents our physical and intellectual being has been a subject of copying, mimicking and inspiration. Recent surges in technology advances led to the emergence of increasingly more realistic humanlike robots and simulations. Making such robots is part of the field of biologically inspired technologies - also known as biomimetics - and it involves developing engineered systems that exhibit the appearance and behavior of biological systems. Robots with selectable characteristics and personality that are customized to our needs and with self-learning capability may become our household appliance or even companion and they may be used to perform hard to do and complex tasks. In enabling this technology such elements as artificial intelligence, muscles, vision, skin and others are increasingly improved. In this paper, making humanlike robots will be described with focus on the use of artificial muscles as the enabling technology and the related challenges.

Download Full-text

Biologically Inspired Intelligent Robots using Artificial Muscles

Strain ◽

10.1111/j.1475-1305.2004.00161.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 19-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Y. Bar-Cohen

Keyword(s):

Artificial Muscles ◽

Biologically Inspired ◽

Intelligent Robots

Download Full-text

Biologically inspired electrostatic artificial muscles for insect-sized robots

The International Journal of Robotics Research ◽

10.1177/02783649211002545 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 027836492110025

Author(s):

Hongqiang Wang ◽

Peter York ◽

Yufeng Chen ◽

Sheila Russo ◽

Tommaso Ranzani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autonomous Systems ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

Artificial Muscles ◽

Biologically Inspired ◽

Confined Spaces ◽

Wearable Robots ◽

Surgical Tool ◽

Wide Range ◽

Inspection Tasks ◽

Robotic Applications

Millimeter-sized electrostatic film actuators, inspired by the efficient spatial arrangement of insect muscles, achieve a muscle-like power density (61 W kg−1) and enable robotic applications in which agility is needed in confined spaces. Like biological muscles, these actuators incorporate a hierarchical structure, in this case building from electrodes to arrays to laminates, and are composed primarily of flexible materials. So comprised, these actuators can be designed for a wide range of manipulation and locomotion tasks, similar to natural muscle, while being robust and compact. A typical actuator can achieve 85 mN of force with a 15 mm stroke, with a size of [Formula: see text] mm3 and mass of 92 mg. Two millimeter-sized robots, an ultra-thin earthworm-inspired robot and an intestinal-muscle-inspired endoscopic tool for tissue resection, demonstrate the utility of these actuators. The earthworm robot undertakes inspection tasks: the navigation of a 5 mm channel and a 19 mm square tube while carrying an on-board camera. The surgical tool, which conforms to the surface of the distal end of an endoscope, similar to the thin, smooth muscle that covers the intestine, completes tissue cutting and penetrating tasks. Beyond these devices, we anticipate widespread use of these actuators in soft robots, medical robots, wearable robots, and miniature autonomous systems.

Download Full-text