Scalable microfluidic double-helix weave architecture for wiring of microcapacitor arrays in 3D-printable biomimetic artificial muscles

Abstract

Practical artificial muscles are highly desirable in a wide range of applications: acoustically quiet underwater propulsion, exoskeletons, walker robots, prosthetics, and medical augments. 3D-printable microfluidic electrostatic biomimetic artificial muscles in particular hold high promise for low-cost, energy-efficient, high-strength-to-weight-ratio, manufacturable actuator solutions. Their basic design and operational principles have been established. However, there remains a major problem to solve as to how to wire them fluidically and electrically in a scalable, efficient, and practicable fashion. This short communication offers an innovative solution to this very problem. Herein, each muscle fiber is a double helix of microfluidic channels connecting longitudinal arrays of microcapacitor plates of alternating polarity. The fibers are arrayed in the two lateral dimensions to produce muscle fiber bundles that are connected by binary-tree architectures that taper off to only two inputs and two outputs for the entire muscle. This solution ensures full scalability, efficient fluidic loading, simple electrical interface, and resilience to single-point failures. Hence, the offered solution is a major step towards the practical implementation of 3D-printable artificial muscles and their applications.