SUPER STRONG ARTIFICIAL MUSCLE DEVELOPED

[Anchor Lead]

A team of domestic researchers developed an artificial muscle that is similar to a human one but 17 times stronger. The muscle is composed of graphene-liquid crystal composite fibers, and is expected to be utilized in various fields such as humanoid bio-robots and artificial organs.

[Pkg]

The motions of today's humanoid robots are far from natural because they are made of mechanical devices instead of muscles. Research into artificial muscles made of new materials is underway, but robots need to store energy to be able to move their muscles. Research teams from KAIST and Pusan National University have developed an artificial muscle that is similar to a human one but 17 times stronger. They used graphene-liquid crystal composite fibers, which make it possible for the muscle to contract and relax like animals' muscles in response to temperature changes without using any energy.

[Soundbite] Kim Jun-tae(Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST) : "When light or heat is applied, the aligned molecule structure starts contracting irregularly, resulting in a motion."

The muscle contracts when the heat is applied using light remotely. Its power density is six times that of human muscles while its speed is up to 17 times faster. A thousand strings of the artificial muscle twice as thick as a hair can lift a 1kg weight. An artificial inchworm, to which the new technology was applied, turned out to be three times as fast as a real inchworm.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Sang-ouk(Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST) : "Liquid crystals tend to change reversibly but they are weak. But with the use of graphene the muscle can contract on a larger scale faster and with higher intensity."

The researchers plan to utilize the muscle in humanoid bio-robots and artificial organs.