Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed robotic muscles that are 1,000 times stronger than those of an average human. These muscles utilize the rare properties of vanadium dioxide, a compound that changes from an insulator to a conductive metal at 67 degrees Celsius. This transition process “yields an incredible amount of strength,” says Dvice. Berkeley Labs reports that their robotic muscles are “…able to catapult objects 50 times heavier than itself over a distance five times its length within 60 milliseconds – faster than the blink of an eye.” Continue reading for a video and more information.
According to Dvice” “Not only do the folks at Berkeley Labs believe that their discovery will fuel the robo-limbs of the future, they also believe that their quick-reacting muscles could lead to a new line of energy-efficient electronics. The vanadium dioxide-fueled muscles have already proven themselves capable of expanding and contracting a million times over without breaking down, even when ramped up to a whopping 200,000 RPMs.”