NUS Engineering team makes artificial muscles

NUS Engineering team makes artificial muscles which can lift loads 80 times its weight, a first in robotics

From National University of Singapores Newshub:

Invention paves the way for designs of efficient, biomimetic artificial muscles and contributes towards development of green robots

 A research team from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Engineering has created efficient artificial, or “robotic” muscles, which could carry a weight 80 times its own and able to extend to five times its original length when carrying the load – a first in robotics. The team’s invention will pave the way for the constructing of life-like robots with superhuman strength and ability.    

In addition, these novel artificial muscles could potentially convert and store energy, which could help the robots power themselves after a short period of charging.Led by Dr Adrian Koh from NUS’ Engineering Science Programme and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the four-member team has been working on the project since July 2012.

Robots – current limitations

Robots, no matter how intelligent, are restricted by their muscles which are able to lift loads only half its own weight – about equivalent to an average human’s strength (though some humans could lift loads up to three times their weight). Artificial muscles have been known to extend to only three times its original length when similarly stressed. The muscle’s degree of extendability is a significant factor contributing to the muscle’s efficiency as it means that it could perform a wider range of operations while carrying heavy loads. 

Super, artificial muscles

Explaining how he and his multidisciplinary team managed to design and create their novel superhuman muscles, Dr Koh said, “Our materials mimic those of the human muscle, responding quickly to electrical impulses, instead of slowly for mechanisms driven by hydraulics. Robots move in a jerky manner because of this mechanism. Now, imagine artificial muscles which are pliable, extendable and react in a fraction of a second like those of a human. Robots equipped with such muscles will be able to function in a more human-like manner – and outperform humans in strength.” In order to achieve this, Dr Koh and his team have used polymers which could be stretched over 10 times their original length. Translated scientifically, this means that these muscles have a strain displacement of 1,000 per cent. A good understanding of the fundamentals was largely the cause of their success, Dr Koh added. “We put theory to good use. Last year, we calculated theoretically that polymer muscles driven by electrical impulse could potentially have a strain displacement of 1,000 per cent, lifting a load of up to 500 times its own weight. So I asked my students to strive towards this Holy Grail, no matter how impossible it sounded,” he said.Though they could only achieve a modicum of their target, it is a first in robotics. For his contributions, Dr Koh was awarded the Promising International Researcher Award at the 3rd International Conference on Electromechanically-Active Polymer Transducers and Artificial Muscles in June 2013, held in Zürich, Switzerland. The Award recognises young researchers from outside Europe, who have made significant contributions in the field of electromechanically-active polymers, and display promise to successful career in the field.

Green robots

“Our novel muscles are not just strong and responsive. Their movements produce a by-product — energy. As the muscles contract and expand, they are capable of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. Due to the nature of this material, it is capable of packing a large amount of energy in a small package. We calculated that if one were to build an electrical generator from these soft materials, a 10kg system is capable of producing the same amount of energy of a 1-ton electrical turbine” Dr Koh said.This means that the energy generated may lead to the robot being self-powered after a short period of charging – which is expected to be less than a minute.

The next step

Dr Koh said they are still beefing up their muscles. They will also be filing a patent for their success formula of materials and right degree of electric impulses. And in about three to five years, they expect to be able to come out with a robotic arm, about half the size and weight of a human arm which can wrestle with that of a human being’s — and win.Powerful artificial muscles need not only be used in robots, said Dr Koh. “Think of how efficient cranes can get when armed with such muscles,” said Dr Koh.The research team plans to work further with researchers from Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, as well as Bioengineering to create robots and robotic limbs which are more human-like in both functions and appearance.

[via nanowerk] [photo by Erik Charlton]

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3D Printed Prosthetics

futuretechreport:

3D Printing is Not Just For Toys and Trinkets - 3D Printed Prosthetics

This image sums up why 3D printing is so disruptive. I can just imagine a time when we have our medical tricorders helping us quantify ourselves and medical databases where we can print out health-related needs, like this, on our personal 3D printers.

Power to the people!

theotsiproject:

3D Printed Prosthetic Leg. Awesome!!!

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'Terminator arm' churned out of 3D printer

(Image: Oli Scarff/Getty)

It may look like a sci-fi movie prop, but it could be a glimpse at the future of prosthetics.

3D printing can render everyday artefacts in clear plastic, so we can see in unprecedented detail how they work – and this exquisite model of a prosthetic arm is a brilliant example. It is one of the highlights at the London Science Museum’s 3D printing exhibition, which features more than 600 printed objects.

Designed by Richard Hague, director of the Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Research Group at the University of Nottingham, UK, and his students the arm shows how the printers can create strong structure, mobile joints and delicate sensors – like spiral-shaped metal touch-detectors – all in one process.

"It’s a mock-up but it shows circuits that sense temperature, feel objects and control the arm’s movement," says Hague. "3D printing gives us the freedom to make complex, optimised shapes, and our research aim is focused on printing-in electrical, optical or even biological functions."

Such techniques are also bringing prosthetics to people who previously could not afford them. For instance, the open-source "robohand" project, pioneered by South African carpenter Richard Van As, aims to print cheap, plastic customised prostheses for people who have lost fingers, or who were born with some digits missing or malformed. Some of his work – with the designs available online – is also on show at the Science Museum.

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The FinRay structure is a prototype for an emotive wall. The emotive FinRay wall is composed of seven separate wall pieces, which can swing their body back and forth. Embedded in the skin of the FinRay are arrays of LED luminaries, which can be programmed individually to give personalized information or just to create an ambient luminescent atmosphere. While the primary synchronous behavior of the firefly is flashing light, the primary synchronous behavior of the FinRay is movement. In the installation, the FinRays are aligned in a row in 7 wall pieces, herein referred to as nodes. The synchronous behavior between the FinRay nodes contrasts with the motion produced by the presence of the participant. The result is a series of complex wave patterns that propagate through the FinRay structure as a whole. The propagating movements of the FinRay are expressed in the changing patterns of light and sound. The LED skins respond directly to user presence by glowing brighter when users are near, and glowing dimmer as they move away. The synchronous and asynchronous behaviors are reflected in the sound design as changes in intensity in response to the FinRay movement. Moments of synchronous behavior are represented by calmer sounds, while asynchronous behavior results more intense sound. Source

The 40 meter long interior of a container boat becomes a sound box for light and sound. A network of bright lines floating in the steel hull of the ship and creates atmospheric sounds and structures. With the help of digital LED light and sound of the room by the visitors as three-dimensional spatial composition will be explored interactively.

"Resonate" takes the existing strength of the steel vessel walls as a resonator with elastic strings on sound, deflects this and bundles them into eight interactive objects. By interacting with the sound of strings, the visitor can generate individual sounds that are visually translated into light waves. Thus, the surface of the objects is the interface between sound and light. Source

The m wall system is a permanently installed interactive media wall, consisting of 20 Full HD displays and a dedicated client-server system (11 computers). On the one side, a powerful in-house development tool for interactive installations, it can also be used to simulate and playback large format video content.

The system offers endless possibilities in the fields of generative and reactive content creation. External live feeds such as twitter, video streams and picture content from the web can be embedded into the content. The m wall system can be controlled through various interfaces, such as, e.g. iPads, Kinect Motion Control, or classic show control systems. Source

Future of Light

Lighting is being deployed on-demand to demarcate new spaces and accommodate multiple use-cases.

Lighting typically blends into the backdrop of our day to day existence, providing a level of functional utility that is often only noticed in its absence. But as a new frontier in lighting emerges, designers and artists are experimenting with how light can be used to define boundaries within a space and do so on demand.

In a trend we are calling Bound By Light, PSFK Labs has identified several ways in which designers are exploring the use of light as a substitute for physical boundaries, helping to change the way people perceive their surroundings. By taking advantage of the precision and controls offered by lighting and projection technology, these explorations are redefining human interactions within a space, creating flexible environments which accommodate a host of activities ranging from fun to functional. Ed Bakos, managing director at Champalimaud, tells us, “Lighting clearly can emphasize both the space or it can be used to highlight an object. You have to think about how you’re going to construct the room as a three‐dimensional illuminated experience, because the surfaces that you’re creating are really only meaningful if light hits them in a certain way.”

One example of this trend is the ASB Glassfloor in Germany. It’s a sports surface made from glass that uses hidden LEDs to switch between different court markings at the touch of a button. Created by the German glass company ASB Systembau, the court’s combination of translucent glass and hidden LED channels can be switched on and off to create boundaries and markings for a range of sports. In addition, the LED technology can enhance the experience for spectators by displaying things like score, statistics and team colors directly on the playing surface. The floor is designed to emulate hardwood courts with the added advantage of flexible lane lines and markings for multi-purpose gymnasiums.

In our conversation with Winka Dubbeldam, principal at ArchiTectonics, she explains,“There is no architecture if there is no light. You can create a space just with lighting and you can play and change the space with lighting rather than having to change the space by rebuilding it. I think light as a physical boundary is a much softer and more friendly approach to boundaries in general.”

Another example of this trend comes to us from the art world. Vanishing Point is a concept that speaks directly to the idea of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ boundaries. The art installation explores the idea of ‘light architecture’ and use of perspective as a way to redefine and represent a particular space. Created by the London art collective United Visual Artists, the installation projects laser lines from a single vanishing point onto a dark room, creating volumes and divisions that reshape the experience of the physical space. The beams of light frame new boundaries within the room, allowing the audience to interact with the space in an entirely new way. Sound is also incorporated into the space by sampling the ambient noise generated by the lasers.

Vanishing Point and the ASB Glassfloor point to the novel ways in which light can be used to redefine a space on demand. Lighting installations like this could demarcate areas for street performers and taxi stands, or indicate designated areas for certain activities without the need for physical boundaries being constructed.

These examples also fall under a larger theme we are calling Enlightened Communication, which explores solutions that investigate the way light can be used as a communication tool, either visually conveying information through color, design and frequency or as a medium for transmitting data over distances.

The Future of Light series explores light’s potential to improve lives, build communities, and connect people in new and meaningful ways. Brought to you in partnership with Philips Lighting, a full report is available as aniOS and Android app or as a downloadable PDF.

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Dino Pet living night light to teach kids about bioluminescence. It may be shaped like a cartoonish Apatosaurus, but the original inspiration for the Dino Pet’s name comes from the dinoflagellates it contains. Specifically, this interactive toy gets its glow from the Pyrocystis fusiformis species of marine algae, which when shaken emit a blue light for a short time. A bottle of algae may sound like a strange pet, but the designers have noted that the dinoflagellates are especially suited to children, since they’re easy to take care of, non-toxic, and will even glow brighter to indicate when they’re being properly cared for. http://youtu.be/zowY47fAhDc