Crack-Resistant and Tissue-Like Artificial Muscles with Low Temperature Activation and High Power Density.

Constructing soft robotics with safe human-machine interactions requires low-modulus, high-power-density artificial muscles that are sensitive to gentle stimuli. In addition, the ability to resist crack propagation during long-term actuation cycles is essential for a long service life. Herein, a material design is proposed to combine all these desirable attributes in a single artificial muscle platform.

Designing strong, fast, high-performance hydrogel actuators.

Hydrogel actuators displaying programmable shape transformations are particularly attractive for integration into future soft robotics with safe human-machine interactions. However, these materials are still in their infancy, and many significant challenges remain presenting impediments to their practical implementation, including poor mechanical properties, slow actuation speed and limited actuation performance. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in hydrogel designs to address these critical limitations.

Ultra-Soft Organogel Artificial Muscles Exhibiting High Power Density, Large Stroke, Fast Response and Long-Term Durability in Air.

Polymeric gel-based artificial muscles exhibiting tissue-matched Young's modulus (10 Pa-1 MPa) promise to be core components in future soft machines with inherently safe human-machine interactions. However, the ability to simultaneously generate fast, large, high-power, and long-lasting actuation in the open-air environment, has yet been demonstrated in this class of ultra-soft materials. Herein, to overcome this hurdle, the design and synthesis of a twisted and coiled liquid crystalline glycerol-organogel (TCLCG) is reported.