Nylon-based artificial muscle fibres

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Xu Fan and Kieran Morton are third year Engineering undergraduates working in John Madden’s Molecular Mechatronics Lab. Their research focuses on artificial muscle development and application, particularly in the area of biomedical engineering. The nylon-based artificial muscles used by the duo can produce a high tensile stress and large stroke relative to their size. However, standard devices consume a significant amount of energy. Therefore, Fan and Kieran are designing a new catch system that reduces the power consumption of these artificial muscles and broadens their potential application. In addition, the team is working to improve various aspects of the technology, including muscle fiber strength and actuation speed. The goal of the research is to utilize this technology in a range of biomedical solutions (e.g. for lagophthalmos).