Fishing Line As Artificial "Muscle" 111
brindafella writes "Researchers have made what they describe as an 'almost embarrassing' discovery, that twisted nylon fishing line can form a 'powerful, large-stroke, high-stress artificial muscle' capable of lifting as much as 100 times more weight than human muscles. They twisted the fishing line, then heated it to 'set' the shape-memory. The scientists are from the Australian Research Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at the University of Wollongong, and the University of Texas. The findings are published in Science magazine."
Mechanism (Score:4, Insightful)
If I read this right - they coil the line, stretch it and then use heat to return it back to the original coiled state. This then provides lift. I am wondering how much heat is required though. If you have enough of these filaments in an artificial muscle arrangement could you, while lifting your car or running for the bus, spontaneously ignite? That to one side, though, I really love these unexpected breakthroughs.
Re:Heat is the limiting factor in our muscles, too (Score:5, Insightful)
Heat isn't the limiting factor here, it's what causes the fibre to actuate.
Yes, but they will have to be cooled in order to de-actuate. The rate of thermal transfer is going to limit the working rate. It's fascinating stuff.
Re:And don't forget ... (Score:2, Insightful)
Even better, you can do something that's just as relaxing but doesn't require a nearby lake or having to deal with smelly fish, such as watching paint dry. So exciting! Or you could just lock yourself in a featureless room and stare at the wall for a full day.
Re:so they invented the spring (Score:5, Insightful)