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Roentgen first discovered Ionic Polymers in 1880. They are similar to piezoelectric materials, but need to be wet to work efficiently.
Magnetostrictive Materials were discovered in the 1840s by James Prescott Joule, when he noticed that iron changed length in response to changes in magnetism and named the phenomenon the Joule Effect.
How It Works:
When in contact with water or another fluid, electricity
is passed through the material to change its crystalline structure. This voltage change results in a shape change. Muscles
operate in a similar way, so it should be no surprise that some of the first research with electroactive materials had to do
with creating parts of the fictional "bionic man."
Some Examples of Electroactive Polymers:
- Ionic Polymer Metal Composites (IPMCs)
- Conductive Polymers
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Graphics at left and below come from NASA's JPL labs and show an ionic polymer starfish and a conductive polymer fin, each showing different stages in response to varying electric input. |
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Examples of Applications and Links:
When you click on these sites, you may be exiting the NASA web site. These sites are not under NASA control,
and NASA is not responsible for the information or links you may find there. NASA is providing these links only as a
convenience. The presence of these links on any NASA web site is not intended to imply NASA endorsement of that site,
but to provide a convenient link to relevant sites which are managed by other organizations, companies, or individuals.
- Arm Wrestling Robot with artificial muscles uses IPMCs, of which there are two kinds: Nafion (perfluorosulfonate) & Flemion (perfluorocarboxylase). Much artificial limb research like this is conducted at the University of New Mexico Artificial Muscle Research Institute. A video lecture on use of smart materials for making artificial muscles can be seen at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/feb02.html
- Small Facial Muscle Control for animated androids with eerily human-like features. For a video, see: http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/nasa-nde/lommas/EAP-video/android.mpg
- IPMCs control joint movement in robot called Bony, a moving skeleton at University of New Mexico.*
- Polymer-based swimming vehicle.*
- Flapping wing structure (a little bigger than a coin!)*
- Artificial heart assisted by active polymers.*
- Nanorover: A large dust wiper designed for cleaning applications.*
* Pictures and information about each of these projects, and more can be found following free registration at: http://www.unm.edu/~amri/
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