NASA's Invention of the Year Award Goes to Synthetic Muscles

coondoggie writes "It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie: technology that can act like muscle and nerves to expand and contract. The invention has been named the NASA Government Invention of the Year for 2007. 'The Macro-Fiber Composite, or MFC, is made up of ceramic fibers and can be attached to a structure to bend it, reduce vibrations and monitor force. By applying voltage to the MFC, the ceramic fibers change shape to expand or contract and turn the resulting force into a bending or twisting action on the material. MFC technology could also find its way into inflatable space structures can be used for antennas, communication satellites, space station trusses, and solar sail support structures, NASA said.'"

Great, one more researcher to track down.

[GLowder]

Great, this is one more researcher we'll have to send someone back in time to knock off. The list of people that put forth inventions leading to the machines taking over the earth keeps expanding.

Also an energy generation device

[sweet_petunias_full_]

"By applying voltage to the MFC, the ceramic fibers change shape to expand or contract and turn the resulting force into a bending or twisting action on the material. Likewise, voltage is generated in proportion to the force applied to the MFC material"

That means that you could attach these to trees, swaying skyscrapers, radio towers, etc., and these things would start generating energy just from their natural motion.

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[Cairnarvon]

And since that motion is caused by the wind, it'd be the most expensive wind turbine on the market. And probably the least efficient.

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[sweet_petunias_full_]

I hope this does not rattle the windmill lobby's cage, but if a structure is going to be built either way, and if it constantly vibrates due to wind movements, putting a windmill on top of it might not be as great a solution as adding strands of this stuff to it.

Efficiency might not be the only consideration, as you may not be interested in maximizing energy output necessarily. You might be more interested in getting enough energy for the MFC to pay for itself, and that the structure doesn't fall over whil

Old news

[ThreeGigs]

This material has been around since 1999 - 2000.
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=955561&id=10&qs=No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dmfc%26Ntk%3Dall%26Ntx%3Dmode%2520matchall%26Ns%3DArchiveName%7C0%26N%3D0 [nasa.gov]

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=924195&id=8&qs=No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dmfc%26Ntk%3Dall%26Ntx%3Dmode%2520matchall%26Ns%3DArchiveName%7C0%26N%3D0 [nasa.gov]

2004:
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=572569&id=3&qs=No%3D0%26Ntt%3Dmfc%26Ntk%3Dall%26Ntx%3Dmode%2520matchall%26N%3D0%26Ns%3DArchiveName%7C0 [nasa.gov]

Aparently they're 'merely' integrating it into materials and structures in new ways of late, but they were putting it on F-16 tailfin mockups 8 years ago.

Older Than That

[lcreech]

I had the idea of creating synthetic muscles over 25 years ago when pvf2 (polyvinyl fluoride) first came out. It is a piezoelectric plastic that is less fragile than ceramic. And no I didn't patent it since I never got around to it.

Larry C.

Yes, old news. Why is NASA hyping this now?

[Animats]

This stuff has been around since at least 2002. You can buy it commercially. [smart-material.com]

Here's a video. [smart-material.com] This is still a small-movement actuator. Piezoelectric devices are usually good for a maximum strain of about 0.1%, and this stuff gets up to 0.45%. This has minor uses, but it's a long way from being an "artificial muscle", which requires strain values around maybe 20%. This won't replace the hydraulic cylinder any time soon.

There are other materials with more promise for artificial muscles. See Artificial Muscle, Inc. [artificialmuscle.com], which has a polymer-based material which changes length when electricity is applied. This is being used in auto-focus cameras, and they're working towards valve actuators in appliances, automotive fuel pumps, and similar short-travel applications.

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[jafac]

Artificial Muscle Inc. got it from:
http://www.sri.com/esd/automation/actuators.html [sri.com]

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[Goldsmith]

The basic piezoelectric effect (movement from applied voltage and voltage from applied movement) was discovered in the late 19th century. You can get piezoelectric crystals all over the place. Quartz crystal watches use this stuff.

I'm wondering what exactly "Macro-Fiber Composite" means. In those blurbs they talk about creating single crystal MFCs, how do you get a single crystal composite? I wonder why they don't put their papers online since they're publicly available.

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[Walt Dismal]

This might explain some sightings of remarkably shape-changing, flexible-structure airborne objects - I will not say UFOs because that has crackpot connotations. But if this has been around long enough, we undoubtedly have some interesting black-budget aircraft architectures out there.

Also coming to mind when I read this was, 'hey, this could be perfect for realizing the octopoid robotic tentacles of 1950's science fiction magazine cover fame". And Doctor Octopus, too. And...um...sexual prosthetics..er, n

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[Derosian]

Totally offtopic... But I would hardly call BSD entirely dead. I just sold a near mint condition BSD OS/386 for 40+ on Ebay. That is 10 year old software...

I don't know about you but when something becomes rare enough it becomes alive in a whole new way.

They should have named it "Myomer"...

[MachDelta]

...'cuz I want my own freakin BattleMech!

Or at least, MechWarrior was the first thing I thought of when I read this story. Not something more practical like artificial limbs. Hmm... I may need to get out more.

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[dunkelfalke]

same here

i want my shadow hawk

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[downix]

Now now, we have to have the Mackie first!

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[Shabadage]

Mackie's are only good if you're a pissed off Smoke Jaguar who's about to sell out his clan.

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[lowem]

And I expected the Battlemech comment to make first post or thereabouts. Not too many old fogeys like us around, are there.

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[KDR_11k]

Pah. Add a nanolathe and we'll start talking. The DGun is completely optional.

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[Massacrifice]

You are confusing NASA with FASA.

That said, I shall Death-From-Above you with my jet-modified Marauder.

What about?

[ms1234]

Can it be made into a spaceship that can change shape?

Synthetic Muscles would be nice...

[distantbody]

...but just answer me this: Is it possible for species/human to evolve a metallic skeleton ala wolverine?

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[KDR_11k]

Only if you have enough metals in your nutrition... Which would currently kill you.

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[Spy der Mann]

Metallic skeleton? Who needs a metallic skeleton when you can build your own catgirl! =^_^=

So much for all the pundits ...

[LaughingCoder]

... who said MFC was dead!

This sounds a lot like ...

[ScrewMaster]

much of the technology portrayed in the Stargate universe. I'm particularly reminded of the Ancient archive that grew out of a well and grabbed Col. O'Neil's head.

Cheap Robots for MicroSurgery or Assembly

[Simonetta]

I've been thinking about using this type of material that shrinks, expands, or twists under voltage for robots. Small, precise, and especially cheap robots.

IF (and that's a big if here folks,) the material can be made to repeatedly move in precise quantifiable intervals then it would be a boom for micro robots.

For example, micro surgery. Having a dual joystick-like control that moves a micro knife or cellular glue stick 0.1mm for every centimeter movement of the controller in

What? Outrageous!

[chrism238]

What, synthetic rubbish? This is outrageous!
Hello? NASA? Have you even heard of the iPhone?

It may have scientific uses, but

[adona1]

NASA is totally going to make a fortune if they enter the sex-doll industry with this :)

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[the monolith]

And they are intending to use it to 'erect' antennas in space... Only? I can think of another use for an erecting mechanism.