Bionic muscles

Scott Birdby Scott Bird | March 18, 2006
Filed in News , studies | 4 comments

BatoScientists at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed artificial muscles, which are powered by alcohol and hydrogen. These muscles, which are around 100 times as powerful as the body’s own, could be used in exoskeletons in order to assist various professions : firefighters, those in the military, powerlifters.

For more info, have a read of the complete report (subscription - free abstract available) in the 17 March issue of Science magazine.


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Comments

1

Hey, I didn’t know you were a Ghost in the Shell fan - - - that’s Batou, Major Kusanagi’s partner and heavy gunner.

The first time I saw artificial muscle, it was synthetic fibers that contracted very forcefully when acid was run through it. Of course, the biggest enginnering hurdle in limb cybernetics is not force production, it’s delicacy - - - like the egg grab test.

Posted by: Alberto Caraballo | March 19, 2006 11:00 PM

2

Long time GITS fan. In addition to a great storyline, the animation (not to mention the music) is incredible.

I agree with you - synthetic muscle has a lot of similarities to development in the world of robotics. It’s become a lot better in the past few years, but is still a long way short of human muscle when it comes to delicacy. Raw strength isn’t a problem.

Posted by: Scott | March 20, 2006 8:53 AM

3

What did you think of Ghost in the Shell II. I saw it a the international film fest this year, in the absolutely magnificent Embassy Theatre.

The animation was still incredible, the story was a bit hokey in some bits, but for some reason I really loved the head-bending end, and particularly the Orbital-esque score.

Posted by: steph | March 20, 2006 9:14 PM

4

Loved it. They seemed to avoid the usual traps of film sequels, and showed that the combination of CG and traditional animation is a field which is still growing.

If you like Kawai’s music, check out some of the other scores he’s done. PatLabor is the first reasonably well known one that springs to mind, though he’s done many, many others.

Posted by: Scott | March 20, 2006 10:33 PM

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