Tying Fishing Line For Powerful Artificial Muscles

(Inside Science TV) – What can you make with sewing thread and fishing line? If you're a materials scientist, you could use them to create artificial muscles.

“We can make these muscles in an extremely simple way," said Ray Baughman, a materials scientist at the University of Texas at Dallas.

To create the muscles, researchers attach nylon fishing line and a weight to a drill. When the drill is turned on, the line twists and coils to create materials that act like muscles. These "muscles" are activated by temperature changes.

Baughman said, “Depending on how we heat these muscles up, they can either expand or contract.”

Despite their humble makeup, these muscles are extremely strong. The coiled material can lift 100 times more weight and generate mechanical power 100 times stronger than human muscles of the same size.

Per weight, the muscles can generate 7.1 horsepower per kilogram, which is about the same mechanical power as a jet engine.  But, mechanical motors cannot expand or contract like these artificial muscles.

“You can actually get more force from fishing line than you could get from your natural muscles," said Carter Haines, a materials science .graduate student at UT Dallas.

These powerful materials could one day transform robotics.

“You can make big…coils that you can put into…a prosthetic arm or into robotics that would replace and serve a similar function as natural muscle," said Haines.

Since the muscle-like material responds to temperature changes and sunlight, it could eventually become part of building windows that open and close on their own.

It's also inexpensive, costing about five dollars for every two pounds of material.

These powerful materials could one day transform robotics, and according to Baughman, be sold commercially in two years.

Get Inside The Science:

Researchers Create Powerful Muscles From Fishing Line, Thread

Fishing Line Artificial Muscles (animation)

Ray Baughman, The University of Texas at Dallas