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Another key issue is scaling up from thin individual threads. Although the carbon-nanotube muscles can outperform natural muscles on a per-area basis, exerting 100 times the force, natural muscles are much larger, making them stronger. This scale-up issue has been a challenge for artificial muscles in general, which is why they still can't beat human muscles in such functions as arm wrestling, Bar-Cohen says.
Despite the challenges, Baughman's work so far represents important advances for carbon nanotube-based artificial muscles. "[Baughman] has really taken these very far in terms of processing," says Elizabeth Smela, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland. "The fact that he can form transparent conducting sheets, yarns, and other materials out of these carbon nanotubes is attractive. Processing is very important. You can have a promising material, but if you can't figure out how to process it to make things out of it, it doesn't do you much good."
Researchers have taken a step towards making carbon nanotubes into transmission lines.
Ever since the days of the IBM 1130, I've been wondering how Steve Austin did it. . . . . .
I-Robot and Materials or Actuators!
The field of actuators is a mature one, and range from hydraulic, electrical, to straight up simplistic pneumatic actuators. I feel the real value in this technology is the new form in which the carbon-nanotubes have been place into, being a yarn. However, I often wondered while watching the movies I-Robot what the future Sonny’s muscles could be made out of?
Yet to today, we still at best have poor wire sized actuators, in which they are only able to contract around 4 to 5% of their length, and produce very minimal amounts of force respective of their size and length. To highlight this I have references a simple paper on wire actuators below.
In all, this particular development shows promise in developing a feasible new line of actuators (wire actuators), having the benefit of a completely different form factor, although many simple bugs, like creep, must be first worked out.
Brian Glassman
A Ph.D. Student in Commercialization of Technologies
At Purdue University
www.TechRd.com
Innovation Management
Commercialization of technology
Ref 1 http://www.coe.neu.edu/Research/robots/papers/act2002.pdf
Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.
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FUTUREISTMONTE
1 Comment
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When will one be able to invest in this new (nanotube muscles? THANK YOU FUTUREIST MONTE
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