Automated manufacturing system for carbon fiber-based twisted and coiled artificial muscles (TCAMs)

Carbon Fiber (CF) Twisted and Coiled Artificial Muscles (TCAMs) can replace traditional actuators in robotics and medical devices applications. CF TCAMs are currently made through a time-consuming and inconsistent manual process. This paper proposes a novel automated manufacturing system to produce CF-based TCAMs with repeatable and tailored geometry. This system reduces manufacturing time from 24 h to only 3 min, and experiments demonstrates that the system is capable of manufacturing TCAMs with repeatable performance. The maximum deviation of the output contraction between different TCAMs is reduced by 66%. This automated and scalable process will foster the use of TCAMs in several applications.