Synthetic Muscles   
       
   Dec. 30, 2015:  Muscles are miracles of nature. They convert energy into   
   motion more efficiently than any gasoline engine or electric motor. They're   
   extremely resilient and even heal themselves. Instead of degrading with use,   
   our muscles become stronger the more we work them.   
       
   Researchers have long sought a way to recreate that miracle in prosthetics. So   
   far, no one has succeeded. But Lenore Rasmussen, Principal Investigator for   
   the US National Lab sponsored Synthetic Muscle investigation on the   
   International Space Station, is getting closer.   
       
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9uj3OW_ld4   
       
   Rasmussen has been focusing her efforts on creating a new type of material for   
   making life-like, flexible, strong prosthetic devices that are appealing in   
   both form and function. Her quest led her to a class of "smart" materials   
   called electroactive polymers.   
       
   "Smart materials react to external stimuli such as light, temperature, and   
   electricity. Like real muscles, electroactive polymers react to electricity,   
   bending in response to an electrical impulse while real muscles contract. I   
   wanted to find a material that would contract and also expand to effect   
   movement. To develop it, I took any possible candidate and zapped it!"   
       
   She has a personal reason for her quest. When she was in graduate school, one   
   of her cousins almost lost his foot in an accident with a hay spreader as he   
   worked on his family farm.   
       
   "He lost a lot of tissue, and the family feared he would lose part of his leg   
   and foot," says Rasmussen. "As the `resident scientist' in the family, I was   
   put in charge of researching prosthetics. This was back in the 1980s, so I was   
   pretty disappointed with the selection of prosthetic devices I found. The ones   
   that looked more life-like moved awkwardly, and those that moved well looked   
   artificial. That's still true today. I want the best of both worlds for people   
   who have lost limbs, so I've been working to create a material that both looks   
   natural and moves well."   
       
   As it turned out, her cousin's foot and leg were saved-no prosthetics   
   required--but the whole experience resonated with her deeply.   
       
   Now, she's finally found the "right stuff." Her creation -- Synthetic MuscleT   
   -- behaves a lot like human muscle, converting electrical potential energy   
   into mechanical motion.   
       
   "It contracts in response to electricity, and by flipping the polarity   
   applied, I can also get expansion, which human muscles can't do! The result is   
   that this material can bend, stretch, and contract or expand in any direction."   
       
   What does all this have to do with space travel?   
       
   The synthetic muscle she has created could be also used to create humanoid   
   robots that can go where people can't or don't want to go. With ability to   
   mimic human dexterity and mobility, such robots could serve as human   
   assistants in space, nuclear plants, or the military. In fact, Synthetic   
   Muscle samples are being tested for radiation resistance in the Synthetic   
   Muscle investigation on the station, where the environment allows the samples   
   to be exposed to a wide variety of radiation all at the same time.   
       
   Variations of the material -- with different additives and coatings -- were   
   sent to the space station and attached to lesser protected areas of its   
   interior in April. The samples are being photographed every 5 to 6 weeks   
   during exposure before returning to Earth in 2016, where they'll be examined   
   to see how they held up.   
       
   "We're still in the early stages of work with Synthetic Muscle, but the future   
   looks promising-both on Earth and in space."   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- DB 3.99 + Windows 10   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)