Portable engine powers artificial muscles in assistive devices

The solution from researchers at North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and UC Berkeley is said to generate significant force without being tethered to an external power source.

In a statement, Hao Su, corresponding author of a paper on the work, said: “Soft robots that are powered by fluid engines – such as hydraulic or pneumatic action – can be used to mimic the behaviour of muscle in ways that rigid robots cannot.

“This makes these robots particularly attractive for use in assistive devices that improve people’s ability to move their upper or lower limbs.”

Most fluid engines are physically connected to an external power source, such as a large air compressor, which limits their utility. Previous fluid engines that were not tethered to external power sources were not able to generate much force, which also limited their utility.

“Our work here addresses both of those challenges,” said Su, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “Our fluidic engine is not tethered to an external source but can still generate up to 580 Newtons of force.”