Robotic leg designed for the first time with ‘artificial muscles’

Hibapress

Swiss researchers announced Monday that they have designed the first robotic leg with “artificial muscles” capable of jumping on different surfaces.

The tiny robotic leg appears, in a video accompanying the study, making small jumps in a circle covered with grass, sand and stones.

The researchers hope their technique will be used for humanoid robots capable of “boring household tasks,” said Robert Katzschmann, co-author of the study published in the journal Nature Communications.

The team led by Swiss researchers was inspired by the fact that the human body uses around 600 muscles, in order to create a robot capable of walking and jumping fluidly.

For this, she used what she calls “artificial muscles,” also known as electrohydraulic actuators.

These muscles look like small freezer bags, attached to the metal bones of the robotic leg. Filled with oil and equipped with electrodes, they contract and relax in a way that mimics the movement of an animal muscle.

The artificial muscle technique has the advantage of using less energy than a traditional motor when the robot’s knee is bent, according to the study.

A fully functioning humanoid robot with artificial muscles is still a long way off.