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Graphene Helps a Robot Creep Like an Inchworm

Posted by timothy on from the whole-new-line-dance-in-the-making dept.

LilaG writes "To develop new materials for robotics, scientists have developed graphene-based actuators that convert electricity into motion. In robots, actuators act like muscles, driving the movement of mechanical arms and fins. Most actuator materials, such as ceramics and conductive polymers, respond slowly, require a lot of power, or provide very little force. To make speedy, strong actuators, Chinese researchers coated graphene paper with the polymer polydiacetylene. Graphene provides a highly conductive, flexible backing for the fragile polymer crystals, which deform in response to electrical current. The actuators can bend 200 times per second and generate more force than most current materials. Using a sheet of the material, the scientists built a simple inchworm robot that arches and relaxes to crawl forward."

4 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. All I see is by Osgeld · · Score: 4, Interesting

    a CAD drawing and a bunch of ad's, I see nothing built unless someone wants to pony up 35 bucks for a PDF file?

  2. I wonder if it works backwards by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder if moving the actuator produces (or modifies) a current. Might make an interesting nano-sized surface gauge.

  3. We did something similar in 1999 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It was a Project for my undergrad. We called it ANT5. We used nitinol as actuators, and build our small ant robot. I should test with the new material

  4. This is the future... by Spigot+the+Bear · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... of robotics and artificial limbs/hearts. No more of this servo/gear nonsense that creates slow, jerky movement. The future is artificial muscle, connected to artificial joints by artificial tendons. We are the templates of the future.