Bionic Hand Uses Smart Wires To Mimic Muscle Fibers, Saarland University Study

Engineers in Germany have built a biologically inspired artificial hand with muscles made from bundles of 'smart' wires. An electric charge is all that's needed to make these wires tense or relax, meaning the hand can operate without the bulky and cumbersome electronics that often make artificial prosthetic hands impractical.

The lightweight plastic hand itself was designed and 3D-printed by a research team from Saarland University. The muscle-like fibers are made from strands of nickel-titanium wire, each about the width of a human hair. The metal wire, known as shape-memory alloy, has the highest energy density of all known actuation mechanisms, which allows it to perform powerful movements in restricted spaces.

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