Company develops ‘muscles’ for robots

An American start-up is developing materials that can contract under the influence of electrical tension, similar to how human muscles do. The material can make robots appear more human, among other things.

Speaking to TechCrunch, co-founder Lenore Rasmussen explained the idea behind the artificial muscles. Her company Ras Labs is developing a material that can measure up to human muscles in terms of flexibility and strength. By running electric current through it, contraction takes place and the muscles can be controlled.

The intention is that the material, whose optimal composition is still being researched, will be used, among other things, for building robots. Incidentally, Ras Labs is also thinking of using the synthetic muscle material for prosthetics. Ras Labs has started a partnership with NASA for the further development of the artificial muscles. As a result, the developed materials are currently being tested on the International Space Station. Ras Labs wants to investigate whether the artificial muscles can cope with difficult circumstances, such as when used during space missions.

Ras Labs thinks that in about five years it will be far enough to actually use the materials for the construction of robots. The start-up hopes to be able to contribute to the mission to the planet Mars that NASA has set up. This is planned for 2020. There are also companies that are interested in using the synthetic muscles, but it is not known which ones.