With hydrogen-powered muscles robots can sneak around
Published: 21 October, 2009, 12:46
Edited: 25 July, 2010, 05:43
A team of robotics engineers have developed a system that makes pneumatic artificial muscles much quieter than those used in labs today.
Annoying noise produced by air pumps or electric motors in human-like robots is among the factors hampering their entry into consumer market. Researchers at the University of Nevada in Reno came up with an idea how to make artificial muscles work silently, reports New Scientist.
Instead of an air compressor the pressure is supplied by a sealed capsule with a metal hydride powder. The material can absorb and release large amounts hydrogen gas if heated and cooled down. The property makes them of much interest for hydrogen motor researchers, since safe storage of the explosive gas is one of the biggest challenges for the industry.
Kwang Kim and Alexandra Vanderhoff used a vessel with a mix of copper and nickel-based metal hydrides to apply pressure for an already available pneumatic muscle. The muscle is basically a rubber tube in a Kevlar fiber braiding, which contracts when inflated.
By making the hydrogen reactor release and absorb hydrogen, the scientist actuated the muscle. The process produced almost no noise, produced high force in relation to the amount of metal hydrides used, and the whole system was sealed, so that no hydrogen was wasted.
"The system has biological muscle-like properties for humanoid robots that need high power, large limb strokes – and no noise," says Kim.
Now the engineers plan to optimize their concept for future work.
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I am pleased at this original approach to robotic actuators. Have the inventors of this method considered using materials which sublimate at slightly elevated temperatures ? These materials include the family of chemicals of inks found in sublimation photo printers which sublimate and re-crystallize at temperatures above room temperature. This may also be a method of activating pneumatic actuators without pumps or compression canisters as well.