A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found that spider silk contains a property that could be useful in the development of artificial, robotic muscle.
KNOWN AS ONE OF THE STRONGEST MATERIALS FOR ITS WEIGHT
The team noted that spider silk reacts to humidity, contracting and twisting in environments at a certain level of relative humidity. This reaction exerts enough force that spider silk is now a contending material for creating actuators — devices that move to perform some activity, like controlling a valve.
When humidity goes up, the fibers of a spider’s web suddenly become taught with supercontraction. The silk also twists at the same time, giving a strong torsional force.
ARTIFICIAL MUSCLE
Study authors believe the same principles can be applied to actuators, which converts electric, air or liquid energy into a form of motion – making the supercontraction application useful in manufacturing or industrial settings.
They also believe this ultra-fine but durable material could one day be used as an artificial muscle.