{"id":32359,"date":"2025-10-30T15:16:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T15:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/?p=32359"},"modified":"2026-01-06T12:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T12:58:44","slug":"revolutionary-artificial-muscle-from-south-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/revolutionary-artificial-muscle-from-south-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolutionary Artificial Muscle from South Korea: Lifts 4,000 Times Its Own Weight!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Korean<\/strong> researchers have achieved a revolutionary<\/strong> breakthrough that could power the humanoid robots<\/strong> of the future. It can lift 4,000 times<\/strong> its own weight and is both flexible<\/strong> and strong<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists in South Korea have developed an artificial muscle<\/strong> that could be used in humanoid robots<\/strong> in the future. The most striking feature of this new muscle is its ability to be both flexible<\/strong> and stiff<\/strong> when needed. This is considered a first<\/strong> in artificial muscle research. The results of the study were published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials<\/strong> on September 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoon Eui Jeong, lead author of the study and professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST<\/strong>), stated: “This research eliminates the fundamental limitation<\/strong> of traditional artificial muscles. This is because old systems were either very flexible<\/strong> but weak<\/strong>, or strong<\/strong> but stiff<\/strong>. The composite material<\/strong> we developed can offer both properties simultaneously. This paves the way for versatile<\/strong> soft robots<\/strong>, wearable devices<\/strong>, and intuitive<\/strong> human-machine interfaces<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial muscles<\/strong> often struggle to strike a balance between flexibility<\/strong> and durability<\/strong> (strength<\/strong>). For a muscle to generate sufficient energy, it must be stretchable while also being strong<\/strong>. This difficulty directly affects the work density<\/strong>, which is the amount of energy generated per unit volume. Scientists believe that soft artificial muscles<\/strong> have a transformative potential<\/strong> in the future, as these structures offer lightweight<\/strong>, versatile<\/strong> movement, and systems that are mechanically compatible<\/strong> with human tissues<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A New Era for Humanoid Robots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The researchers describe their developed artificial muscle as a “high-performance magnetic composite actuator<\/strong>.” This refers to a complex chemical structure<\/strong> composed of interconnected polymers<\/strong> to mimic the muscle’s pull-and-release movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of these polymers<\/strong> can change its stiffness<\/strong> level and is contained within a matrix<\/strong> that houses magnetic microparticles<\/strong> on its surface. This allows the muscle’s stiffness<\/strong> to be adjusted and enables movement. The new design combines two different bonding mechanisms<\/strong>: a covalent-bonded chemical<\/strong> and a reversible physical interaction network<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This double-layer structure<\/strong> enables the muscle to operate durably<\/strong> for a long time. The balance between stiffness<\/strong> and flexibility<\/strong> is provided by this dual-bond architecture<\/strong>. Additionally, NdFeB microparticles<\/strong>, placed on the muscle’s surface, are functionalized via octadecyltrichlorosilane<\/strong>, a colorless liquid. These particles<\/strong> are distributed throughout the polymer matrix<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Power That Surpasses Human Muscle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The artificial muscle<\/strong> stiffens<\/strong> when carrying a heavy load and becomes soft<\/strong> (flexible) during contraction<\/strong>. Weighing only 1.13 grams<\/strong>, this muscle can lift a 5-kilogram load<\/strong>. That is 4,400 times<\/strong> its own weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While human muscle<\/strong> can contract by about 40 percent<\/strong>, this synthetic muscle<\/strong> achieves a stretch of 86.4 percent<\/strong>. This is more than twice<\/strong> that of human muscle<\/strong>. Furthermore, reaching a work density<\/strong> of 1,150 kilojoules per cubic meter<\/strong>, it exceeds the capacity of human tissue<\/strong> by 30 times<\/strong>. This technology, which offers flexibility<\/strong> and strength<\/strong> together, opens the door for machines to mimic human movement<\/strong> in a much more natural<\/strong> way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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