The Latest Twist on Artificial Muscles

Dr. John Madden and an international team of collaborators have invented new artificial muscles strong enough to rotate objects more than a thousand times their own weight. Yarns composed of carbon nanotubes rotate in a manner similar to flagella of bacteria, elephant trunks, and octopus limbs. Dr. Madden and colleagues’ article in the forthcoming issue of Science, entitled, Torsional Carbon Nanotube Artificial Muscles, details this research and its intriguing implications.

This exciting new research was featured on a recent episode of Quirks and Quarks – A New Spin with Nanotubes. Systems which utilize rotary movement are extensively needed and used, but current motors are difficult to miniaturize because of their complexity. The miniscule size of these nanotube yarns makes it an important invention for precision assembly, drug discovery, and biomedical research.