Page 67 - Biomimetics : Biologically Inspired Technologies

Bar-Cohen : Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies DK3163_c002 Final Proof page 53 21.9.2005 11:39am

Biomimetics of Muscle Design 53

2.7 SUMMARY

In recent years, material scientists have developed polymer materials that can be used to develop
artificial muscles. To facilitate robotic and prosthetic design, such artificial muscles should be
multi-functional, robust, modular, and have the capacity to repair themselves in response to
damage. It has been argued that studying the working principles of biological muscle may inspire
the design of artificial muscles. This chapter gives an overview of the relationship between muscle
form and function, with an emphasis on the sarcomeric design of muscle. The following issues were
addressed: (1) muscles are multi-functional actuators; (2) contractile proteins are organized in
functional units called sarcomeres; (3) muscle function is modified in two basic ways — (a)
modifying the sarcomere design and (b) rearranging the sarcomeres; and (4) muscle adaptation in
response to functional demands. The chapter ends with a discussion on how the sarcomeric design
of muscle can provide inspiration for the design of artificial muscles.

REFERENCES

Ahn, A. and Full, R.J. (2002) A motor and a brake: two leg extensor muscles acting at the same joint manage
energy differently in a running insect. J. Exp. Biol. 205(Pt 3):379–389.
Alexander, R.McN. (2003) Principles of Animal Locomotion, Princeton University Press, Princeton and
Oxford, Ch. 2.
Anderson, D.G., Burdick, J.A. and Langer, R. (2004) Smart biomaterials. Science 305:1923–1924.
Ashmore, C.R., Mechling, K. and Lee, Y.B. (1988) Sarcomere length in normal and dystrophic chick muscles.
Exp. Neurol. 101:221–227.
Bar-Cohen, Y. (2001a) EAP history, current status, and infrastructure. In: Electroactive Polymers (EAP) as
Artificial Muscles, Reality Potential and Challenges, Y. Bar-Cohen (Ed.), SPIE Press, Bellingham,
Washington, Ch. 1, pp. 3–38.
Bar-Cohen, Y. (2001b) EAP applications, potential and challenges. In: Electroactive Polymers (EAP) as
Artificial Muscles, Reality Potential and Challenges, Y. Bar-Cohen (Ed.), SPIE Press, Bellingham,
Washington, Ch. 21, pp. 615–659.
Biewener, A.A., Konieczynski, D.D. and Baudinette, R.V. (1998a) In vivo muscle force–length behavior
during steady-speed hopping in tammar wallabies. J. Exp. Biol. 201(11):1681–1694.
Biewener, A., Corning, W.R. and Tobalske, B.W. (1998b) In vivo pectoralis muscle force–length behavior
during level flight in pigeons (Columba livia). J. Exp. Biol. 201:3293–3307.
Blaya, J. and Herr, H. (2004) Adaptive control of a variable-impedance ankle–foot orthosis to assist drop-foot
gait. IEEE Transact. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng. 12:24–31.
Breazeal, C. and Bar-Cohen, Y. (2003) Introduction to biomimetic intelligent robots. In: Biologically Inspired
Intelligent Robots, Bar-Cohen, Y. and Breazeal, C. (Eds), SPIE Press Monographs Vol. 122, Ch. 1,
pp. 1–25.
Brooks, S.V. and Faulkner, J.A. (2000) Tissue engineering of skeletal muscle. In: The Biomedical Engineering
Handbook, Second Edition, Bronzino, J.D. (Ed.) Vol. II, pp. 123.1–123.14.
Burkholder, T.J. and Lieber, R.L. (1998) Sarcomere number adaptation after retinaculum release in adult mice.
J. Exp. Biol. 201:309–316.
Burkholder, T.J. and Lieber, R.L. (2001) Sarcomere length operating range of vertebrate muscle during
movement. J. Exp. Biol. 2004:1529–1536.
Conley, K.E. and Lindstedt, S.L. (2002) Energy-saving mechanisms in muscle: the minimization strategy.
J. Exp. Biol. 205:2175–2181.
Dickinson, M.H., Farley, C.T., Full, R.J., Koehl, M.A.R., Kram, R. and Lehman, S. (2000) How animals move:
an integrative view. Science 288:100–106.
Frank, T. and Schilling, C. (1998) The development of cascadable microdrives with muscle-like operating
behavior. J. Micromech. Microeng. 8: 222–229.
Full, R.J. (1997) Invertebrate locomotor systems. In: The Handbook of Comparative Physiology, Dantzler, W.
(Ed.), Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 853–930.