Swedish researchers have developed a breakthrough 3D printing method to create soft actuators. These dielectric elastic actuators (DEA) are made from silicone-based materials, combining conductive ...

A team of researchers from South Korea has developed a thin, robotic actuator based on the movements of real human muscles. Actuators are, effectively, the ‘muscles’ of robotic machines. They are ...

Researchers are beginning to bridge the gap between humans and robots by inventing technology to make it safer for them to work alongside each other. As part of this effort, researchers at the Wyss ...

Electroactive polymer actuators represent a rapidly evolving field in materials science, where electrically induced deformations in polymers are harnessed to produce controlled mechanical motion.

Our muscles are nature's actuators. The sinewy tissue is what generates the forces that make our bodies move. In recent years, engineers have used real muscle tissue to actuate "biohybrid robots" made ...

MIT engineers have developed a new spring (shown in Petri dish) that maximizes the work of natural muscles. When living muscle tissue is attached to posts at the corners of the device, the muscle’s ...

Roboticists have been motivated by a long-standing goal to make robots safer. The new actuator could be used to develop inexpensive, soft, flexible robots which are safer and more practical for ...

A two-phase actuator is based on electroactive polymer artificial muscle technology. Improved actuation of medical devices could be as simple as swapping motors for muscles, according to Artificial ...

However, developing artificial muscles that can compare to the real thing is a major technical challenge. In order to keep up with their biological counterparts, artificial muscles must not only be ...

Developing robots with human-like muscles that produce autonomous movement is not possible using traditional rigid, high-voltage electronics. However, recent research funded by FlexTech, a SEMI ...

Researchers created tough hydrogel artificial tendons, attached them to lab-grown muscle to form a muscle-tendon unit, then linked the tendons to a robotic gripper's fingers. (Nanowerk News) Our ...