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Robot muscle hydrogel

27.11.2019

Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU) have invented a new jelly-like material that mimics biological substances such as skin, ligaments and even bones. This incredibly strong, self-healing substance also has the ability to change shape!

Hydrogels are the familiar high water content gels that are used in everyday life in a number of products, such as contact lenses. The research team says the new hydrogel has the potential to create a new class of medical implants or artificial muscles for next-generation robots that can even swim thanks to such muscles.

Lead researcher Luc Connal said that the new hydrogel's dynamic chemical bonds give it properties that qualitatively distinguish it from other similar materials. "Normally, the bonds within a hydrogel are very weak, but ours is so strong that it can hold heavy objects and change its shape without breaking the structure. This is very similar to how human muscles work," he explained.

Another interesting feature is self-healing. Together with elasticity and strength, this property makes it an ideal material for a range of biomedical devices. This includes implantable implants, and prostheses, and parts of surgical robots that work with living tissues. Perhaps not skeletons of steel and titanium, but rather soft robots with hydrogel muscles - this is our ticket to the era of androids.

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