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Synthetic Muscle™ for Deep Space Travel and Other Applications on Earth and in Space

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Smart Materials

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Abstract

For deep space travel, new materials are being explored to assist humans in dangerous environments, such as high radiation, extreme temperature, and extreme pressure. Synthetic Muscle™ is a class of electroactive polymer (EAP)-based materials and actuators that shape-morph at low voltage (1.5 V to 50 V), sense pressure (gentle touch to high impact), and attenuate force. These EAPs can survive and work in environments where humans cannot safely enter due to extreme environments or due to contagions that have no cure. From the Ras Labs-CASIS-ISS Experiment, the flown Synthetic Muscle™ samples compared well to the ground control samples, even after over a year on the International Space Station. Replicating human grasp has implications in robotics and prosthetics. EAP linkages can be actuated and EAP pressure sensors placed at the fingertip regions of robotic grippers for tactile feedback. With autonomy, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and EAP and other smart material technologies all coming together, there is an incredible fusion of mechanical and biological concepts to make truly innovative biomimetic motion. Smart materials will allow humanity to advance and survive on Earth and in space: on the ISS National Laboratory, the planned Moon base, the anticipated Mars settlements, and beyond.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the National Science Foundation, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the Kalenian Award, Breakout Labs, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia/Philadelphia Pediatric Medical Device Consortium, the US DOE, and the US DOD for funding of the synthetic muscle projects. We gratefully acknowledge Livia Rizzo of the Harvard Medical School MedScience Program and interns Curran Dillis, Cole Schreiber, and Jesse d’Almeida for their work with the customized 3D printed prosthetic hand. STEM internships were supported in part through the MLSC Internship Challenge and the PPPL NUF and SULI Programs.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ras Labs, Inc., Boston, MA, USA

    Lenore Rasmussen, Peter N. Vicars, Calum R. Briggs, Tianyu Cheng, Margot Meredith, Simone Rodriguez, M. Damaris Smith & Matthew Bowers

  2. Ras Labs Technical Advisory Board, Quincy, MA, USA

    Leila N. Albers

  3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boston, MA, USA

    Leila N. Albers

  4. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, Dallas, TX, USA

    Simone Rodriguez

  5. Robotics Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA

    Matthew Bowers, Shannon Carey & Ben Secino

  6. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA

    Edward A. Clancy & Charles Sinkler

  7. US Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Charles Gentile, Lewis Meixler, George Ascione, Nicole Allen, Robert Hitchner, James Taylor & Laurie Bagley

  8. Gas and Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Daniel Hoffman

  9. Leidos, Exploration & Mission Support, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Ramona Gaza

  10. Organic Materials Branch, US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command – Armament Center (CCDC-AC), Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, USA

    Leon Moy, Patrick Mark, Dan Prillaman, Robert Nodarse & Michael Menegus

  11. US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center, Natick Labs, Natick, MA, USA

    Jo Ann Ross-Ratto, Christopher Thellen & Danielle Froio

  12. Center for Injury Research and Prevention, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Matthew Maltese & Thomas Seacrist

  13. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA

    Cosme Furlong & Payam Razavi

  14. United Prosthetic, Inc., Dorchester, MA, USA

    Greig Martino

  15. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Alex Zhong

  16. Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA

    Logan Valenza

  17. Trinitity College, Hartford, CT, USA

    Catherine Poirier

  18. Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA, USA

    Charles Sinkler

  19. RVCC, Branchburg, NJ, USA

    Dylan Corl

  20. Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA

    Surbhi Hablani

  21. Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, USA

    Tyler Fuerst, Sergio Gallucci & Whitney Blocher

  22. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Stephanie Liffland

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  1. Lenore Rasmussen
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  2. Peter N. Vicars
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  19. Ramona Gaza
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  20. Leon Moy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lenore Rasmussen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ras Labs, Inc., Boston, MA, USA

    Lenore Rasmussen

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Rasmussen, L. et al. (2022). Synthetic Muscle™ for Deep Space Travel and Other Applications on Earth and in Space. In: Rasmussen, L. (eds) Smart Materials. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70514-5_1

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