US scientists make air-powered muscles that help robots lift 100x their weight

Scientists developed air-powered artificial muscles called HARP (helical anisotropically reinforced polymer) that mimic real muscles.

The actuators are coiled-tube structures, like cavatappi, and need only a small amount of air to expand and contract.

The muscles are flexible, lightweight, nearly silent, and enable robots to lift up to 100 times their own weight.

Robots can carry onboard supplies and operate without external power in extreme or abrasive conditions, including boiling water, and navigate obstacles.

Led by PhD student Eric Weissman at Arizona State University, the work provides a framework to tailor lower-cost soft robots for uses such as disaster-response search in debris or collapsed buildings.