Self-Healing Artificial Muscles

Valor1016 writes "Researchers in California have developed an artificial muscle that heals itself and generates electricity. 'We've made an artificial muscle that, when you apply electricity to it, it expands, more than 200 percent, the motion and energy is a lot like human muscles,' said Qibing Pei, a scientist at UCLA and study author. The researchers used flexible carbon nanotubes as electrodes. If an area of the carbon nanotube fails, the region around it seals itself by becoming non-conductive and prevents the damage from spreading to other areas. This material also conserves about 70% of the energy you put into it. As the material contracts after an expansion the rearranging of the carbon nanotubes generates a small electric current that can be captured and used to power another expansion or stored in a battery. The research appeared in the January issue of Advanced Materials."

Comments

Re:Nanotechnology is very interesting.

[CRCulver]

I really start to wonder what could be around the corner.

Grey goo?

I have an application

[iknownuttin]

I'm no doctor, but... We've made an artificial muscle that, when you apply electricity to it, it expands Isn't that backwards?

Well, I see great applications in artificial penises. Much better than the pump ones!

Re:Self healing?

[ArcherB]

But still are human muscles that efficient? I don't know what the exact numbers are, but when this thing can work all day on a bowl of rice, we'll call it more efficient.

Re:NOT Healing

[AdmiralWeirdbeard]

Though you are correct, I'm not gonna worry about it too much if its on the nanotube level of things. A few tubes out of commission will hardly keep my massively muscular robot body from raining down destruction upon mine enemies.

Ah'll be bahck

[Ihmhi]

Wait, so they've invented a muscle that can isolate damage and keep on going? Didn't anyone learn ANYTHING from Terminator 2? T-1000, here we come...