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Springy Nanotubes Could Make Artificial Muscles
moon_monkey writes "Scientists have discovered that carbon nanotubes have remarkable springy properties, which could make them ideal for use in artificial muscles. Currently, electroactive polymers are most commonly used to make artificial muscles, but these lack mechanical robustness. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute tested the nanotubes by repeatedly squashing them between metal plates. The work is reported in Nature Nanotechnology."
Is there any reason why we can't just grow new muscle fibres outside of the destination body and use those instead of finding a more artifical replacement or do these nano-tubes have an advatange over our tissues?
Forgive my noobness on tissue replacement but I was under the impression that we were on the verge of 'test-tube organs' and if that is the case why not artificially grown muscle tissue?
If this were really happening, what would you think?
No more steroids!
Sugapablo
A Nano-Tube article right next to a Ted Steven's article.
God spoke to me.
Drinking nanotubes is funny but pretty dangerous. They are so small they can pass through cell membranes and through the blood-brain barrier with the greatest of ease. They end up causing damage as they float through everything in your body. Ill stick with Flax Seed oil as my final 5% of my shake.
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People who would need Artificial Muscles are a small minority. We need to improve the lives of the majority people. Imagine the joy that a enhanced nanotube superball or silly putty could bring to the world!
It's a type of Parrot you dolt
Yeah, flax seed oil is a safer bet, true. Nanotubes are as you said still a bit unstable - know a guy who grew muscle in his eyebrow due to it - but they show great promise, the creatine of the XXI century some say.
I wonder what the adult toy industry will do with this. I could probably hazard a few guesses, but children might be reading this thread.
There is nothing wrong of having alternative methods of fixing people. Grown Muscles in a testtube may be great and perhaps even better then Nantotubs but there could exist people who this type of process is incompatable with them, but Nanotubes will work better. As well as we begin NanoTechnology and building more and more active components I don't see why we wounldn't be able to make our bodies more efficient with replacement parts.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
carbon nanotubes have remarkable springy properties So now we can create artificial erections?!? Sign me up!
I hear Duke Nukem Forever will be made using carbon nanotubes.
Other applications... space elevator.
Cue Sci Fi theme music.
I will bend like a reed in the wind.
If it's a NANO-tube, I'd say he's on dialup.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
Collective consciousness would be a blessing and a curse... it would make marriage a hell of a lot easier!
Back to the topic, I find it amazing how fast science is advancing these days (I am a newbie to most things tech) and all surgical procedures carry health risks, but hopefully the benefits will outweigh the downside (if any) and will enhance the lives of those with artificial muscles. Another great achievement in my opinion.
I would have loved some Nanotube Silly Putty as a kid.
Never let a computer know you're in a hurry.
That guy is injecting oil directly into his muscle tissue causing his arms to bulge at the injection site only leading to it to look completely anatomically incorrect, unlike steroid users who just get bigger muscles everywhere.
As the island of our knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.
With normal muscle tissue, strength increases proportional to cross-sectional area, while the weight of both the muscle itself and the object being lifted increases proportional to volume * density. Thus, weight can easily outstrip the ability of a muscle to lift it. This is one of the determining factors in why we do not see giant monsters, as they would be unable to lift their own bodies.
So, were this new artificial muscle to be developed, would it be constrained by the cross-sectional area rule that normal muscles adhere to? Feasibility and practicality aside, could this be one of the major stepping stones toward having my own giant robot?
There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
How do artificial muscles come into this? I didn't see any mention of muscle in the abstract, just 'artificial tissue' and 'electrical contacts'. The elastic behavior is wonderful, but how do you pump energy into those nanotubes to make them expand or compress?
I wonder what this will do to the business models built around Enzyte (no more smiling Bob) or Viagra (slowing down their taps...)....
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The Mushroom Kingdom isn't just some dump truck, it's a series of tubes!
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tubular, or is that
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
Carbon nanotubes are one of many materials that can be made into artificial muscles. This has been known for a few years. For a comparison of technologies, see actuatorweb.org.