UCLA researchers create self-healing, power-generating artificial muscle

We've seen self-healing materials and artificial arms, but a team of researchers hailing from UCLA have taken two fabulous ideas and wed them together to create "an artificial muscle that heals itself and generates electricity." Put simply, the contracting / expanding of the material can generate a small electric current, which can be "captured and used to power another expansion or stored in a battery." The scientists have relied on carbon nanotubes as electrodes rather than metal-based films that typically fail after extended usage, and in an ideal world, the research could eventually lead to (more) walking robots and highly advanced prosthetics. Integrate an AC adapter in there and we're sold.

[Via CNET]

[Neebs @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:00PM]

I'd personally like to stick to good ol' ATP...and last I checked, I'm already self-healing.

[Noel @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:04PM]

Yea.....but if your arm gets blown halfway off (or any other muscled up area) good luck "self-healing" that.

[Matt @ Mar 23rd 2008 4:44AM]

Except these aren't self-healing like everybody's thinking they are. They're designed such that if part of the muscle fails, the surrounding sections can isolate the damaged part and work around and without it. It is decidedly not self-healing, it's merely damage-isolating.

That in itself is still pretty damn cool, but to call it self-healing is a misstatement.

[Jmo @ Mar 23rd 2008 4:09PM]

This is brilliant! I won't ever have to worry about charging my ipod or cell phone and think of the static charges you could hit people with!

[Backlin @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:03PM]

Ah, Deus Ex is coming to fruition.

[Ben Grimsbo @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:33AM]

My vision is augmented.

[Sy @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:11PM]

If this comes to fruition, Pfizer needs another cash cow besides Viagra.

[Carl Vitullo @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:50AM]

eeew, i got the mental picture of milking the viagra cashcow...

[mushrooshi @ Mar 23rd 2008 1:58AM]

What if they put this stuff in Viagra?

"Viva Viagra! It made mine muscular and veiney".

[Alex Padilla @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:13PM]

Two things:

1. Commenters, "fruition" is extremely overused already

2. Imagine this technology for lifting weights? Oh man, the possibilities!

[Aguiluz @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:26PM]

And I thought "fruition" has something to do with fruit.

[Brent @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:10AM]

Yeah, who knew? I just found out Apple is actually an electronics brand??? Can't we just leave the poor seeded foods alone?

[MikeG @ Mar 25th 2008 7:23PM]

How would it affect your ability to lift weights?
More to the point, why would you want to? You aren't going to build any muscle.

[Gladman @ Mar 23rd 2008 6:53AM]

How would it affect your ability to lift weights?
More to the point, why would you want to, you aren't going to build any muscle.

[Alex Padilla @ Mar 23rd 2008 10:52AM]

@ Gladman

Assuming this is anything like REAL muscle, this would be perfect for lifting weights. See, you may not know this, but when you lift weights, you tear your muscle. Then, after the workout, it starts rebuilding the muscle, adding more of it to make it stronger. This muscle obviously doesn't need protein, which is an immediate advantage over "the real thing" (theoretically speaking, of course). So, if this muscle acts like its biological counterpart, then all sorts of good things can happen. Plus, it generates electricity, which could be use for God-knows-what.

[brickwood @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:14PM]

one step closer to the super soldiers.

[JLTate @ Mar 23rd 2008 10:44AM]

Supersoldiers? Who would want them? Everybody knows that nanotechnology-embedded supersoldiers of the future move at 10 frames per second and only on the lowest detail settings.

[Mike10010100 @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:14PM]

HOLY CRAP!

Seriously, this is amazing! It will be a new and easy solution for prosthetic limbs and needs almost no upkeep!

This is stuff of science fiction! If they can make this practical, we will be living in a better world.

[DarCowAlways @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:43PM]

Welcome to Engadget.

[Mike10010100 @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:19AM]

What is that supposed to mean? I've been here for a while, it's just not every day that something like this happens.

It makes me think of the type of prosthetics the guy from I Robot had.

[soviet_vexxer @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:43AM]

it means you're saying what everyone thinks about almost every post.

[Mike10010100 @ Mar 23rd 2008 11:02AM]

Yes, but a new laptop, desktop, phone, or camera will not change the world as much as this discovery.

But I am glad other people share my excitement and were not simply meaning to be sarcastic against me.

[Wwhat @ Mar 23rd 2008 1:25PM]

Still needs an interface to your brain though eh.

[Parlay8110 @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:15PM]

That's great and everything, but does it play doom?

[chris @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:26PM]

if it was my arm/robot thingy
then no
if it was your arm/robot thingy
then we all know what it would be doing
(hint its not playing doom)

[Aguiluz @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:28PM]

Yes...

Without muscles, you can't play doom.

With muscles you can push the mouse or press buttons/keys to play doom.

[Danger @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:36AM]

When will self healing brains be developed for these people thinking that 'Doom' comments are still funny? It's like their brains were blended or something..

[andres @ Mar 23rd 2008 1:46AM]

no, but it will power the blenders used to blend the faces of those who ask, will it play doom

[eggothewaffle @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:16PM]

Oh my god! What an iPhone ripoff!

[DWells55 @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:20PM]

Oh come on, is that really necessary? Especially when there's a Meizu M8 post right underneath this one, a post where your comment would have had at least a little bit of relevance.

[Brian @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:40PM]

I'm not sure if I should laugh at you, or feel sorry for you.
at the moment it's kinda both. haha, aww he did it wrong...

[eggothewaffle @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:05AM]

That's sort of the point...Engadget readers always disappoint me when it comes to sarcasm :[

[John @ Mar 23rd 2008 2:12AM]

This is seriously the first engadget comment that made me really laugh out loud.

Oh and don't worry about these biatches that can't take a joke.

[MikeG @ Mar 23rd 2008 6:48AM]

If you read the source (CNET) then their headline is infact "...can charge an iPhone" :D

[Alex Padilla @ Mar 23rd 2008 7:47PM]

@ eggo

+10 for sarcasm that has deeper meaning on so many levels

[DarCowAlways @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:38PM]

Is it April 1st already?

My, how time flies...

[Nick @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:38PM]

Is there a DIY kit?

[Brent @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:42PM]

So this is how they got a 1 seed....

[mattwier @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:52PM]

If you blend it, does it heal itself then?

[TouchSky @ Mar 23rd 2008 3:59AM]

a quick read of the source article determined that this muscle expands on electrical charge. No where could I determine the force to mass ratio of the muscle but I doubt it is very high. It is not really self-healing, either, but acts to limit the spread of damage. Once the damage is done, only replacement of the muscle will repair the harm.

I think I will stick to ATP, although, it might be nice to introduce a photosynthesis cycle as long as I don't have to turn green in the process!

[For2itous @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:57PM]

At heart, this is just another sneaky way to beat those pesky steroid tests!

[For2itous @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:06AM]

Bottom line--this is the sneakiest way yet to beat those pesky steroid tests!

[Mark @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:37AM]

I would think the Olympic committee would ban these in competitions because they would be 'performance enhancing'.

[I @ Mar 23rd 2008 5:36PM]

Sure why not, the Olympics already denies those with amputated legs. The razor or whatever style legs are a "performance enhancing" option to the lack of their limbs.

I read about some guy who had the razors and he got disqualified from his long distance or sprint run... I forget which but it was pretty sad since he had trained for the event, without. legs.

Olympics will be totally worthless once everyone gets prosthetic limbs when the super-human-muscle-mechanics comes out. Just wait, transhuman is coming.

[initialxy @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:05AM]

reminds me to crysis nanosuit

[Shyam D @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:19AM]

So when can we have these wirelessly charge our cellphones/ipods/laptops/cars/houses/etc.

[Mike Higgins @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:38AM]

Myomer. Gotta love it.

[Doc Hand @ Mar 31st 2008 3:31AM]

lol you beat me to battletech reference

[ivanotter @ May 12th 2008 1:29PM]

Oh snap!!

That is what ran through my brain... but it isnt gummy/sticky enough when not in use ^_^

[vileta2 @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:51AM]

MAXIMUM STRENGTH.