Australian Engineers Develop Smart Fabric That Functions Like Biological Muscle

In an effort to revolutionise wearable exoskeletons and soft robotics, a group of biomedical engineers in Australia have created a smart textile that integrates artificial "muscles".

The scientists used models of a butterfly and flower fashioned out of the textile that performed intricate motions in their lab to show how easily the material could change shape.

Thanh Nho Do, the team's head, has greater ideas and thinks his group might even be able to use the material to make a human smart suit.

Do, who also serves as the director of the University of New South Wales Medical Robotics Lab, stated, "Like the Iron Man suit or Spiderman costume." It has a great degree of conformability to the body and is quite flexible.

The artificial muscle fibres were woven or knitted into the cloth to generate the programmable smart textiles. According to the team's scholarly research, which was published in June, the resulting substance can lift things up to 192 times their weight and can change shape. According to the study, the "muscle fibres" were made from lengthy silicon tubes that had been filled with fluid and were then bent hydraulically using a syringe.

Compression clothing could be one application. The team displayed prototypes that pulsed over a finger and forearm and might deliver massage therapy to reduce discomfort or enhance blood flow.

The development of shape-shifting robots to aid search and rescue teams in reaching remote areas is another potential application, according to the bioengineers.

Thanks to support from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the team is also developing a non-invasive device that can wrap around the heart and help it circulate blood throughout the body to aid those with cardiovascular issues.