FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Monday, November 14, 2005

Fast Robots

One obstacle faced by today's robots is that their "muscles" -- the devices that allow them to move and perform their tasks -- react 100 times slower than human muscles. To solve this problem, researchers at MIT are developing robotic "muscles" made from conductive polymers that can potentially respond 1,000 times faster than human muscles.

No word on when these "bionic muscles" will enter production... but if and when they do, they will have a profound impact on robotics at all levels.

Source: EurekAlert