Synthetic Muscle Made of Fishing Line is 100 Times Stronger Than the Real Thing Read more: Synthetic Muscle Made of Fishing Line is 100 Times Stronger Than the Real Thing
22nd February 2014
A team of material scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas have just discovered a new way to create powerful artificial muscles—synthetic sinew that forcefully expands and contracts on command—from low-cost, everyday fibers such as fishing line and high-tension sewing thread. In a study published today in the journal Science¸ the researchers described how they’re doing it: by twisting the materials into springy and energy-dense coils.
Well, ‘fishing line’ and ‘sewing thread’ aren’t materials, they’re products made of materials. The actual materials involved are, in the case of fishing line, probably nylon or dacron, and in the case of sewing thread, cotton or polyester. I should think that a sharply focused mag like Popular Mechanics would have more respect for the intelligence of their readers.