Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41856930›Full record

ArticleAdvanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)2026

Hierarchical Artificial Muscle with Nonlinear Elasticity for Antagonistic and Cyclic Robotics.

Samuel Tsai, Liuyang Cheng, Ali Albazroun, Qiong Wang, Jeongmin Kim, Arman Tekinalp, Soonwook Kim, Charlie Simcox, Ryne Downing, Vagish Sivaramakrishnan and 6 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Samuel TsaiDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4752-1416
Liuyang ChengDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Ali AlbazrounDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Qiong WangDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Jeongmin KimDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Arman TekinalpDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Soonwook KimDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Charlie SimcoxDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Ryne DowningDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Vagish SivaramakrishnanDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Grace CarselloDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Miles BimroseDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Wonsik EomDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
William P KingDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Mattia GazzolaDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Sameh TawfickDepartment of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3645-527X

Funding

Office of Naval Research N00014-22-1-2569
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A key design motif of skeletal muscles is their arrangement in pairs to enable the cyclic, contra-lateral contractions necessary for motion. This mechanism may initially appear inefficient, since the contraction of a muscle group stretches the antagonist, increasing resistance and energy consumption. However, the hierarchical architecture of muscles provides a clever solution. By giving rise to J-shaped stress-strain responses, muscle tissue is soft at small strains, thus minimizing resistance, while it stiffens at large strains to enable economical energy release and prevent excessive elongation and damage. Here, we develop hierarchical supercoiled artificial muscles by plying fishing line fibers that recapitulate this behavior and thus allow antagonistic actuation. Computational models based on Cosserat rods reveal the physical mechanisms underlying the observed J-shaped responses. The artificial muscles are used in an antagonistic biceps/triceps arm mechanism and a vertical rope-climbing robot that weighs 14.4 grams and carries a payload 14.6 times heavier than its own weight.

Indexed as

ElasticityMuscle ContractionMuscle, SkeletalRoboticsAnimalsBiomechanical PhenomenaHumanscoiled artificial musclesoft actuatorsoft robotics

Identifiers

PMID41856930
PMCPMC13248829

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.