Hydraulics? Pneumatics? Screw actuators? Nah, just get knitting!

[Dave]

Need a bit more muscle? Maybe one day you can just slip on a nice, slinky jumper (and a battery pack) and get power lifting.

A cellulose yarn with a special coating, when knitted or woven, may one day form "muscles" for the disabled, and probably other uses.


http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/01/watch-knitted-muscle-could-power-supersuits-future

[joeactor]

Neat. And cellulose would be a cheap material.

I remember playing with "memory wire" when I was a kid. Bend it out of shape, apply heat or electricity, and it resumes it's original shape.

[Dave]

Neat. And cellulose would be a cheap material.

I remember playing with "memory wire" when I was a kid. Bend it out of shape, apply heat or electricity, and it resumes it's original shape.

Used to have a pair of memory metal spectacles, you could scrunch them up, sit on them, nothing would damage the frame - except a hot air gun would  turn them into a pretzel (I was told).

Fascinating stuff, they made a glass house ventilator with a memmet sensor/actuator and I saw a prototype pump system that used the sun's heat and the cooler water to motivate it. Sterling engine worked better though.

[Arturo]

Does that mean I can be a bodybuilder with out steroids? Maybe look like this guy?

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.

[Recusant]

I would have been interested in seeing the stuff in action, but the video only included still images of it. 

[Dave]

I would have been interested in seeing the stuff in action, but the video only included still images of it. 

Yes, shame that, perhaps its present perfomance is less than impressive? 1 mm per kilovolt!?