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Knitted, Conductive Artificial Muscle to Power Future Exoskeletons

Exoskeletons that enhance human performance or aid disabled people to walk and carry out everyday tasks are becoming commercially available. Ideally, an exoskeleton would be designed as a suit, hidden under clothes and increasing mobility. Thus, there is a great need for novel, lightweight actuators that feel as soft and lifelike - and move as smoothly and silently - as their biological counterpart. Researchers from Sweden's Linköping University have created a textile actuator - a new kind of smart fabric that can control movement. The actuators were produced from cellulose yarns assembled into fabrics and coated with conducting polymers using a metal-free deposition. The team found that woven smart yarn was able to withstand great force, whereas a knitted pattern was able to stretch. They knitted the material into a sleeve and placed it on a small Lego lever 'arm,' which moved easily and smoothly and was able to lift two grams of weight. The textile actuators can be effectively mass fabricated, which will allow for a new means of driving and designing assistive devices, such as exoskeleton-like suits with integrated wearable actuators.

Topics:
Automation Electronics & Computers Implants & Prosthetics Manufacturing & Prototyping Materials Medical Motion Control Motors & Drives Power Robotics

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    Transcript

    00:00:01 Weaving and knitting to create fabric are some of our oldest forms of technology Now those ancient practices have become high tech manufacturing, and they are meeting up with cutting edge robotics to create artificial muscles These textile actuators, or textuators, are made from cellulose yarn. Instead of dye, the yarn is coated with a material called polypyrrole that moves in response to electricity The textuators can be woven or knitted. Woven forms can exert more force, but the knitted ones can stretch and change shape The fabric can be tweaked to give the right balance of stretchiness and strength This new fabric is designed to be manufactured at industrial scales. The technology could be integrated into potential assistive devices like prosthetics or exoskeletons

    00:00:53 One day, artificial muscles made of fabric could be integrated into clothing to aid mobility