Created micromotor, which is three orders of magnitude stronger than human muscle Bashny.Net

In the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory разработан mikroaktuator vanadium oxide with a specific power of 39 kilowatts per kilogram. This ratio of power to its own weight puts it on a par with the most powerful engine ever built by man - less than the main engine of the spacecraft Space Shuttle (153 kW / kg), but more than a turbojet engine Boeing 777 (10 kW / kg ). In his "weight class" with a new micro motor can be compared to that mikroaktuatory based on carbon nanotubes, but they limit the angular velocity on the order of magnitude smaller.



Micromotor is a thin strip of V-shaped sandwich of chromium and vanadium dioxide, twisted into a spiral length in tenths of a millimeter. When an electric current tends to turn into a spiral, with it comes with great speed and strength - the angular velocity of up to 200 000 revolutions per minute, the amplitude - from 500 to 2000 degrees per millimeter length. During the experiments, the scientists used mikroaktuator as a catapult - he was able to drop the object is 50 times heavier than its own weight over a distance of 5 own length. Actuator very reliable - after a million cuts no signs of degradation could not be found.





The principle of operation of the actuator is based on a phase transition that occurs in vanadium dioxide at a temperature of 68 degrees Celsius - it is greatly reduced in one dimension, increasing the other two. The speed of this transition is measured picoseconds, and the ability to produce mechanical work by two orders of magnitude higher than pezokeramiki and three orders of magnitude higher than in the muscle fibers. In addition to resizing, changing dramatically and conductivity - below 68 degrees vanadium dioxide is an insulator, and above - a conductor.



A comparison with existing engine types i>

At vanadium micro actuator can be used to create miniature robot moreover it can act as a proximity sensor - if a spiral heated to a temperature slightly above the phase transition temperature, an object closer to room temperature, it is cooled, and the reverse transition occurs. If actuators give the appropriate form, it will automatically discard too close objects and at the same time to signal this increase in resistance. Does not exclude the use of mikroaktuatora as building blocks to create artificial muscles robots large.



Source: habrahabr.ru/post/207074/