Scientists from two of USA's elite universities have pioneered new method of creating artificial muscles. The scientists have dubbed their discovery as "soft robot". It is 2.6-gram "muscle" that looks like small bag with many water-filled compartments. It has been given amazing strength by supporting it with origami-inspired structural framework. This allows artificial muscle to lift object that is 1,000 times its own weight. The New Scientist website said this weight-to-strength ratio is equivalent of a newborn baby lifting large 4WD car. The ground-breaking discovery could greatly benefit many areas of science, medicine, robotics and engineering.
scientists are from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. They are experts in field of soft robotics. They said their new soft robot muscle can be made in just 10 minutes and costs less than one dollar. Researcher, professor Robert Wood, hopes to create "softer" robots that are more similar to humans. He said: "Humans are normally soft and brittle compared to big industrial robots that you might find on an assembly line. The next step is to take this system and develop it into fully functional robot." Dr Daniela Rus explained that robots could be like human hand. They could be strong enough to grip any object firmly, while being soft and gentle.
