The development of technology from crude robot automata to more complex and humanlike bodies has seen developments, such as artificial living skin and artificial wombs, now includes artificial leg muscles.
“Researchers said on Monday they had designed the first robotic leg with ‘artificial muscles’ — oil-filled bags allowing machines to move more like humans — that can jump nimbly across a range of surfaces.
“The small, disembodied robot leg was shown hopping over grass, sand and rocks in a video released alongside a new study in Nature Communications.”
Breakthroughs such as this replicates how human movement works and can can contract and relax similar to human muscles.
“The Swiss-led team of researchers was inspired by the 600 muscles in the human body to create something that can walk and jump in a more fluid, agile manner.
“To do this, they used ‘artificial muscles’, also known as electrohydraulic actuators.
“These soft actuators, which resemble freezer bags, are filled with oil and have electrodes attached.
“The way the liquid contracts and expands allows the technology to more closely mimic animal muscles.
“The electrostatic system also means that when the robot knee is in a bent position, such as a person would have when squatting, the system uses less electricity than traditional motors, the study said.”
This certainly would make it easier to develop efficient “spider” tanks that can walk over hilly and rough terrain.
While this can result in energy efficient robots, more importantly the ability to simulate human muscles means we are closer to cyborg catgirls.
Now, catgirls and other kemonomimi cyborgs can run, frolic, and even skip around happily.
They’ll be able to even dance and leap about.
The future in nyaa-igh!
