Dr. Tawfick from the University of IL has developed a composition of carbon fiber and silicone to create an artificial coiled muscle. This particular composition gives the artificial muscle the ability to lift 12,600 times its own weight when an electrical current is applied to it. This invention could help replace bulky actuators and could be useful in prosthetics as well as other industries.

 

Publications – C Lamuta, S. Tawfick, S. Messelot, Theory of the Tensile Actuation of Fiber Reinforced Coiled Muscles, Smart Materials and Structures, (Apr. 20, 2018).