*(Artifical Muscles)

This homepage provides links to various electroactive polymer (EAP) websites worldwide and it is maintained by the JPL's NDEAA Technologies Lab. For background information please see a lecture on video entitled "Electroactive Polymers as Artificial Muscles". The field of EAP is part of the broader field of biomimetics

Note: The graphics on this website is clickable. The graphics of the two EAP platforms are linked to videos that require QuickTime.

View video reviewing the field of EAP     icon of video camera

In 1999, Dr. Bar-Cohen posed a challenge to the worldwide research and engineering community to develop a robotic arm that is actuated by artificial muscles to win an armwrestling match against a human opponent. The first Armwrestling Match between EAP actuated Robot and Human (AMERAH) was held on March 7, 2005 as part of the 2005 SPIE Annual International EAPAD (EAP Actuators & Devices) Conference. This match was organized with assistance from the United States ArmSportswho provided the table for the match. There were three participating organizations including Environmental Robots Incorporated (ERI), New Mexico; Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, EMPA, Dubendorf, Switzerland; and three senior students from the Engineering Science and Mechanics Dept., Virginia Tech. The human opponent is Panna Felsen, a Straight-A high school student from San Diego. Panna won against all the three robotic arms where the ERI made arm managed to last 26-seconds before losing while the other two managed to hold for 4 and 3 seconds, respectively. Even though they did not win, this has been a very important milestone for the field. To draw analogy from aerospace, one may want to remember that the first flight lasted about 12 seconds.

Some of the applications that are being considered include Haptic/Tactile Interfaces and particularly Active Braille Display. Another development is the first commercial product and it is a fish robot, and it was announced by EAMEX, Japan, at the SPIE's EAPAD 2003 Conference.

WW-EAP INFORMATION AND ARCHIVE



PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL AND ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES/EAP



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