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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Meet the Smart Material That Could Give Robots Human-Like Movement

Imagine a material that bends, contracts, and relaxes just like a human muscle. It moves smoothly, responds quickly, and adapts to different tasks—all without rigid motors or hard mechanical parts. For scientists, creating such a material has long been a dream. Now, researchers are taking important steps toward making this vision a reality.

A research team led by Stephen Morin, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has developed a new synthetic material that behaves in many ways like biological muscle. Their work, recently published in the scientific journal Advanced Functional Materials, introduces a hydrogel-based actuator system that combines movement, control, and fuel delivery into one integrated platform. This breakthrough could open new doors in soft robotics, prosthetic devices, and advanced human–machine interfaces.

Why Biological Muscle Inspires Scientists

Biological muscle is one of nature’s most impressive inventions. It can generate strong force while remaining soft and flexible. Muscles can move quickly, change direction smoothly, and perform a wide range of tasks—from lifting heavy objects to making fine, delicate movements.

What makes muscle even more remarkable is how it uses energy. Instead of relying on batteries or wires, muscle cells draw energy from chemical sources already present in the body, such as sugars and fats. This energy is converted into motion exactly when and where it is needed. As Morin explains, muscle is flexible not only in how it moves, but also in how it powers itself.

Because of these qualities, scientists across the world see artificial muscle as a “Holy Grail” of materials science. If researchers can successfully recreate muscle-like behavior in synthetic materials, it could completely change how robots and medical devices are designed.

The Challenge of Creating Artificial Muscle

Despite decades of research, artificial muscle has remained difficult to achieve. Many materials can move or change shape, but they often fall short in key areas. Some are too slow. Others require constant immersion in water. Many lack precise control or cannot generate enough force to be practical.

Morin is careful not to overstate the achievement. He notes that this new material is not yet a true artificial muscle. However, his team has demonstrated two critical principles that bring science much closer to that goal: microstructure and chemical control.

Microstructure refers to how tiny building blocks inside a material are arranged. Chemical control refers to how chemical signals can be used to trigger movement. Together, these principles allow the material to behave in more complex and muscle-like ways.

Understanding Hydrogels and Their Potential

At the heart of this research are hydrogels. Hydrogels are networks of polymers that can absorb and hold large amounts of water. They are already used in many everyday products, such as contact lenses, wound dressings, and drug delivery systems.

In robotics and engineering, hydrogels are attractive because they are soft, flexible, and compatible with biological systems. When exposed to certain stimuli—such as heat, light, or chemicals—they can swell, shrink, or bend. This makes them promising candidates for soft actuators, which are components that create movement.

However, traditional hydrogel actuators have major limitations. They often respond slowly and usually need to stay fully submerged in water to work properly. These restrictions make them impractical for many real-world applications.

A New Design Inspired by the Human Body

To overcome these challenges, Morin and his team developed a new kind of hydrogel actuator system. Instead of using a single, uniform gel, they built the material from many tiny hydrogel units called microgels. These microgels are arranged in precise patterns, forming an internal structure that can respond quickly and efficiently.

What truly sets this system apart is the addition of an internal microfluidic “circulatory system.” This network of tiny channels works much like blood vessels in the human body. It delivers chemical or thermal signals directly to specific parts of the material.

Because of this internal circulation, the actuator does not need to be immersed in water. It can operate in non-aqueous environments while still responding rapidly to stimuli. This is a major step forward, bringing synthetic materials closer to the versatility of real muscle.

Faster Response and Better Control

By combining microgels with a built-in circulatory system, the researchers created an actuator that can move faster and with greater precision than earlier hydrogel designs. Chemical signals can be delivered exactly where they are needed, triggering localized movement.

This level of control allows for more complex actions, such as gripping small objects or coordinating multiple actuators at once. In the future, this could lead to soft robotic hands with programmable movements, capable of tasks that are difficult for traditional rigid robots.

The system also responds to multiple types of stimuli, including chemical and thermal changes. This multi-responsiveness adds another layer of flexibility, making the material adaptable to different environments and tasks.

Applications in Robotics and Prosthetics

Traditional robots rely on hard motors, gears, wires, and batteries. These systems are powerful, but they are also rigid and sometimes unsafe around humans. In contrast, soft robotic systems made from muscle-like materials are gentle, flexible, and better suited for close interaction with people.

Morin suggests that this new synthetic muscle could be especially useful in situations where robots need to handle delicate objects or work alongside humans. Examples include medical robots, rehabilitation devices, and assistive technologies.

In prosthetics, artificial muscles could lead to limbs that move more naturally and comfortably. Instead of stiff mechanical joints, prosthetic devices could use soft actuators that better mimic real human movement.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Synthetic Muscle

While this research marks significant progress, there is still work to be done. One future direction is changing the shape of the actuators. Instead of flat structures, future designs may use fiber-like or tubular forms that more closely resemble natural muscle fibers.

Such shapes could make it easier to scale up the system and generate greater force. Over time, this could lead to practical artificial muscles that are strong, fast, and efficient enough for everyday use.

The research by Morin and his colleagues shows that by learning from biology and combining chemistry, materials science, and engineering, scientists can create smarter and more capable materials. Although artificial muscle is not yet fully realized, this work brings us one step closer to a future where machines move with the grace, flexibility, and adaptability of living systems.

In the world of robotics and human–machine interaction, that future is no longer just science fiction—it is beginning to take shape in the lab today.

Reference: N. Huang, B. P. Watts, and S. A. Morin, “ Controlled Movement of Soft Actuators using Multi-Responsive Microgel Arrays and Microcirculatory Systems.” Adv. Funct. Mater. (2025): e21444. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202521444

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