Eric Weissman

Lean, Mean, Machine: The Case for Robotic Muscles over Motors

Eric Weissmann, a mechanical engineering doctoral student and graduate research associate in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, is aiding work to develop bio-inspired actuators that are poised to advance robotic technology through a newly developed type of air-powered muscle technology. It’s made of a helical anisotropically reinforced polymer, or HARP, material that resembles coiled pasta tubes, with a design that provides flexibility and lightweight construction and enables it to operate almost silently. Compared to traditional motors, the HARP actuators require much lower pressure to achieve powerful contractions and expansions, enabling robots to lift 100 times their own weight. Weissman says the technology opens a new world of possibilities for robotics. ASU’s Robotic Actuators and Dynamics Lab Director Jiefeng Sun, an assistant professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, joins in the interview about the work.