Minuscule Swiss fiber motor keeps robots squishy and pliable
Minuscule Swiss fiber motor keeps robots squishy and pliable
Swiss researchers at EPFL have developed a flexible FiberMotor, a thin, linear electrostatic motor that can be integrated into soft robots. The motor uses concentric polymer fibers and copper electrodes to generate force, enabling applications in prosthetics and haptic systems. It is back-driveable, allowing for safe interaction with external forces.
Source: New Atlas — Robotics · Read original article ↗
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What the source reports
Publisher-reported claims, with original evidence. These results have not been independently verified by RoboSignal.
Reported numbers
diameter
1–3
load
≈75
load
46
View original evidence
four of the motors bundled together could lift a 46-g (1.6-oz) chocola
Open source S4metric
1–3
metric
≈75
metric
46
Source excerpts and review record
Automatically extracted; no manual editorial approval recorded.
vation, which incorporates liquid-pumping tubular fibers into clothing. Ranging in diameter from 1 to 3 millimeters, each FiberMotor is in fact composed of two concentric hollow polymer fibers – a wider one on the outside, with a narrower one nested inside of it. Thin copper wire is tightly wound around each of the fibers, serving as an electrode on each fiber. A close look at the FiberMotor's fiber-within-a-fiber de
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sign EPFL When an electrical current is applied to these electrodes, electrostatic forces repeatedly pull the fibers into alignment with one another, causing the inner fiber to slide within the outer one. Utilizing that pulling force in lab tests, individual FiberMotors were able to support stationary loads equivalent to about 75 g (2.6 oz), while four of the motors bundled together could lift a 46-g (1.6-oz) chocola
Open source S4
Source：New Atlas — Robotics · newatlas.com