Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 16 November 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5853, pp. 1094 - 1097
DOI: 10.1126/science.1146351
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Review

Mobile Robots: Motor Challenges and Materials Solutions

John D. Madden

Bolted-down robots labor in our factories, performing the same task over and over again. Where are the robots that run and jump? Equaling human performance is very difficult for many reasons, including the basic challenge of demonstrating motors and transmissions that efficiently match the power per unit mass of muscle. In order to exceed animal agility, new actuators are needed. Materials that change dimension in response to applied voltage, so-called artificial muscle technologies, outperform muscle in most respects and so provide a promising means of improving robots. In the longer term, robots powered by atomically perfect fibers will outrun us all.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. E-mail: jmadden{at}ece.ubc.ca

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Nonlinear viscoelastic biomaterials: meaningful characterization and engineering inspiration.
R. H. Ewoldt, A. E. Hosoi, and G. H. McKinley (2009)
Integr. Comp. Biol. 49, 40-50
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Tetherless thermobiochemically actuated microgrippers.
T. G. Leong, C. L. Randall, B. R. Benson, N. Bassik, G. M. Stern, and D. H. Gracias (2009)
PNAS 106, 703-708
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)