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Science 11 April 2003:
Vol. 300. no. 5617, pp. 268 - 269
DOI: 10.1126/science.1082270
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Perspectives

MATERIALS SCIENCE:
Muscles Made from Metal

Ray H. Baughman

The conversion of electrical energy into mechanical work plays an important role in robotics. In his Perspective, Baughman discusses new materials that may be used as actuators. He highlights the report of Weissmueller et al., who show how nanostructured platinum might eventually be used as electrochemical actuators that deliver similar actuator strokes as commercial materials, but at much lower voltages. These and other new actuator materials, based for example on carbon nanotubes, may find applications under conditions where traditional materials cannot operate, such as high temperatures or low voltages.

The author is at the NanoTech Institute, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75083, USA. E-mail: ray.baughman{at}utdallas.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Mobile Robots: Motor Challenges and Materials Solutions.
J. D. Madden (2007)
Science 318, 1094-1097
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