a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
A Slightly different tack was taken by B. F. Goodrich in a "rubber muscle" project. If a straight piece of rubber hose with specially wound reinforcing cord is pressurized with a liquid or gas it will bend to form an arc; if more pressure is applied, the curvature increases until the hose becomes a ring. …
Read More “1967 – B.F. Goodrich “Rubber Muscle” – John S. England (American)”
ROMAC, THE PNEUMATIC MUSCLE Actuator pulls 10,000 pounds using 60 psi A pneumatic actuator based on the principle of the human biceps has come to our attention in the form of a patent disclosure. The ROMAC, under development by MacDonald Detwiller & Associates of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, works on low-pressure (shop) air and can …
Read More “1986 – ROMAC Pneumatic Actuator – Guy Immega and Mirko Kukolj (American)”
Reference: Science News – March 26, 1988 The Muscular Machinery of Tentacles, Trunks and Tongues Scientists discover a new way for muscles to work By STEFI WEISBURD An arm without bones could not bend. A person who tried to bend such an arm would instead end up with a short, fat bulge of biceps. …
Read More “1984 – Bellows Robotic Arm/Trunk – James Wilson (American)”
The arm above is based on an experimental system of pneumatic muscles. Air is forced into the muscle bags, which expand but shrink in length. String tendons link the muscles to the bones, resulting in movement of the limbs. The robot was developed by The Original Android Company [RH-2012-Now defunct], in association with the …
Read More “1981 – Pneumatic Mannequin Arm – Tim Jones (British)”