Do you have a link or more information describing this artificial muscle project? I've been thinking a lot lately how current muscle tech is really poor, too heavy and/or too little mech power while requiring gobs of electrical power.
Big magnets and coils with metal gears are just too heavy for robots. McGibbon muscles look like a great choice except for the need for a pump, air container and solonoids to control it all. New pump tech and better solonoids could help here.
Muscle by chemical means seems very promising as a new technology. If I was to investigate my time or money, it would be here. I was also thinking crystals or organic means. We can grow new organs on mesh, so we should be able to grow muscle soon. Electric interfaces to muscles already exist. If only we could keep it all alive by synthetic means.
Hmmm neat idea . . . I might actually have some use for this on a crystal polymer-based artificial muscle project I often help out on. I forwarded the link to the head chemist.
