News tagged with artificial muscle

Squid and zebrafish cells inspire camouflaging smart materials

Researchers from the University of Bristol have created artificial muscles that can be transformed at the flick of a switch to mimic the remarkable camouflaging abilities of organisms such as squid and zebrafish.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 02, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Whether grasping Easter eggs or glass bottles -- this robotic hand uses tact

Researchers at Saarland University together with associates in Bologna and Naples have developed a robotic hand that can accomplish both tasks with ease and yet including the actuators is scarcely larger than ...

Electronics / Robotics

created Mar 30, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0

New 'soft' motor made from artificial muscles

The electrostatic motor, used more than 200 years ago by Benjamin Franklin to rotisserie a turkey, is making a comeback in a promising new design for motors that is light, soft, and operates without external electronic controllers.

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 15, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (9) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New sensation: Phones that let you feel the world

(AP) -- Sure, today's phones can deliver the sound of a heartbeat. But how would you like to actually feel the throbbing?

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Jan 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 2

Graphene's piezoelectric promise

Engineers predict that graphene can be coaxed into acting piezoelectric, merely by punching triangular holes into the material.

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Jan 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Carbon nanotube muscles generate giant twist for novel motors

New artificial muscles that twist like the trunk of an elephant, but provide a thousand times higher rotation per length, were announced on Oct. 13 for a publication in Science magazine by a team of resear ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Oct 13, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Japan's 'Sense-Roid' replicates human hug

Japanese inventors have pushed the frontiers of technology with the ultimate companion for lonely singles -- a wired torso-shaped device that you can hug and that hugs you back.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Jun 23, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

New soft motor more closely resembles real muscles (w/ video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- "When you pick up a spoon with your fingers, you are able to move it from side to side and rotate it too by moving thumb and forefinger in opposition," Iain Anderson tells PhysOrg.com. Your hand is a soft ...

Physics / General Physics

created Apr 18, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast feature

Replacing batteries may become a thing of the past, thanks to 'soft generators'

Battery technology hasn't kept pace with advancements in portable electronics, but the race is on to fix this. One revolutionary concept being pursued by a team of researchers in New Zealand involves creating ...

Physics / General Physics

created Apr 06, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (30) | comments 51 | with audio podcast

Researcher develops medical technology to detect and treat disease

Cancer, heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death among Canadians. These are also the deadly diseases that Victor Yang's research team aims to alleviate.

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Mar 18, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A molecular motor design breakthrough

French researchers from CNRS and the Universite de Bordeaux, in collaboration with a Chinese team , have developed the first molecular piston capable of self-assembly. Their research represents a significant technological ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Mar 04, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 1

Nanowire research at Stevens makes cover of Applied Physics Letters

An article by Stevens Institute of Technology researchers featured as the cover page of Applied Physics Letters Volume 98, Issue 7 represents a step forward in techniques for the arrangement of nanowires.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Feb 23, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Making light work of artificial muscles

A new form of self-assembling polymer film that bends and stretches when hit by light is pointing the way to a new family of functional materials. This flexing film is the first material to have been made ...

Chemistry / Polymers

created Jan 21, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Impact sensor provides athletic support

As athletes strive for perfection, sports scientists need to exploit every technological advance to help them achieve that goal. Researchers in New Zealand have now developed a new type of wearable impact sensor based that ...

Technology / Engineering

created May 14, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New Study Helps Explain the Surprising Behavior of Tiny 'Artificial Muscles' (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Using neutron beams and atomic-force microscopes, a team of university researchers working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology may have resolved a 10-year-old question ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Apr 27, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast