Soft Robot Muscles Three Times Stronger than Mammal Muscles

Flex those liquid crystals.

STARTER STATS

• New artificial muscles can lift 2,000 times their weight when heated

• New muscles are up to 9x stronger and 3x stronger than mammalian muscles

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A team led by researchers at the University of Waterloo has given soft robot muscles a big lift. The team blends liquid crystals into rubber-like liquid crystal elastomers to create artificial muscles that are stronger, stiffer, and capable of powering fluid robot movements.

The team's study, published in Advanced Materials, found that adding small amounts of liquid crystals (like the ones found in electronic displays) makes elastomers up to nine times stronger. They were able to lift 2,000 times their weight when heated and deliver 24 J/kg of work, outlifting mammal muscles threefold.

This breakthrough, in collaboration with researchers from Cambridge and Kent State, could transform soft robots for tasks like factory work. Unlike rigid motors, these enhanced elastomers enable safe, precise, and wide-ranging motions, ideal for micro-medical robots or human-robot collaboration.

The team is now exploring the possibility of 3D-printing these materials.

“Materials with such capabilities can replace bulky, heavy motors with light, soft artificial muscles, unlocking the true potential of soft robots for safe and precise applications.”

— Dr. Hamed Shahsavan, University of Waterloo, Chemical Engineering

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