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

NOT Healing

[Anonymous Coward]

The muscle does not heal. It shuts down damaged areas "to prevent spread of damage."
 
Typically, "healing" refers to repair of damage, not isolation of damage.

Question

[Sabz5150]

I'm no doctor, but...

We've made an artificial muscle that, when you apply electricity to it, it expands Isn't that backwards?

Re:Question

[clonan]

It is the "How do you push rope" question.

In order to be biologically uselfull they will need to be pliant and flexible. If they are pliant and flexible they won't have the tensile strength to move bones around.

Well... Here comes a whole new round of PENIS

[bagboy]

SPAMMERS....

Amazing!

[MaWeiTao]

Is there anything carbon nanotubes can't do? Every few weeks I read about some new application for those things; space elevators, batteries, muscles, it just doesn't end. I'm honestly impressed.

Re:Better than the real thing

[moderatorrater]

How exactly is it better than the real thing?

1. it doesn't heal itself, just mitigates the damage.
2. requires carbon nanotubes which would be very hard to manufacture inside a self contained unit.
3. requires electricity.

Is it awesome? Yes. Is it better than human muscle? No, just different.

Re:Better than the real thing

[Anonymous Coward]

1) Biological muscles don't repair beyond minor damage either. Be it nanotubes or protein-based fibers, either can and will break eventually, usually in tiny amounts at a time. Those ruptures are usually contained, but not repaired. Otherwise injuries wouldn't permanently debilitate the muscle nor we'd grow weaker as we grow older.
2) Well, that's why they're figuring out better production methods.
3) Er, biological muscles do need electricity too. Nervous system? Sodium-Potassium exchange?

Re:Nanotechnology is very interesting.

[susano_otter]

Given that the earth is full of nanomachine colonies trying desperately to consume all available resources and expand indefinitely, I'm pretty sure grey goo won't be all that interesting. If algae and fungi haven't taken over the world after several billion years of trying...