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282 Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies

Figure 10.11 (See color insert following page 302) A new class of multi-limbed robots called Limbed
Excursion Mobile Utility Robot (LEMUR) is under development at JPL. (Courtesy of Brett Kennedy, JPL.)

Figure 10.12 Artists’ drawing of the solid state IPMC-based aircraft concept. (Courtesy of Anthony Colozza, Ohio
Aerospace Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.)

10.6 MILESTONE FOR THE FIELD

Improved collaboration among developers, users, and sponsors as well as increased resources with
a growing number of investigators have led to rapid progress in the field. In the last two years
several milestones have been made in this field:
(a) In December 2002, the first commercial product emerged in the form of a Fish-Robot (Eamex,
Japan). An example of this Fish-Robot can be seen at http://eap.jpl.nasa.gov where there is also a
link to a video showing Fish-Robots swimming in a fish tank. These robots swim without batteries
or motor and use EAP materials that simply bend on stimulation. For power they use inductive coils
that are energized from the top and bottom of the fish tank.

In 1999, in an effort to promote worldwide development towards the realization of the potential
of EAP materials an arm wrestling challenge was posed to the engineers worldwide (Bar-Cohen,