Researchers at MIT Media Lab and Politecnico di Bari have developed electrofluidic artificial muscle fibers that combine miniaturized solid-state electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pumps with thin McKibben actuators in a closed fluidic circuit. Unlike conventional fluid-driven actuators that require bulky external pumps, these millimeter-scale fibers are self-contained, silent, and lightweight. By pairing fibers in antagonistic configurations — mirroring how biological muscles work — the system eliminates the need for an external fluid reservoir. A key engineering insight was pre-pressurizing the system to prevent cavitation at the pump inlet. The fibers contract and extend linearly like natural muscles, making them easier to integrate into robots, exoskeletons, and prosthetics than traditional servo motors. The work was published in Science Robotics.
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