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By "events" Pei actually means they stabbed the artificial muscle with pins. Any other artificial muscle would have failed, but their model kept operating. The self-healing muscle is also energy efficient. "It conserves about 70 percent of the energy you put into it," said Pei. As the material contracts after an expansion the rearranging of the carbon nanotubes generates a small electric current that can be captured and used to power another expansion or stored in a battery. Scientists in Japan charge batteries from ocean waves using the same idea. Other scientists have speculated that the artificial muscle could be used to capture wind energy. "The way he's put these carbon nanotubes together is really quite innovative," said Kwang Kim, a material scientist at the University of Reno who was not involved in the research. "Some people want to use this to charge their batteries." The research appeared in the January issue of Advanced Materials.. Related Links: Eric Bland's blog: What the Tech? |
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