Application of electrical stimulus enables movement of wire coated with micromuscle EAP.

Micromuscle is an electroactive polymer (EAP) by Creganna, Marlborough, MA. The material responds to an electrical signal by changing volume or other properties. A low-voltage (1 to 2 V), when applied to the polymer in an electrolytic liquid (a body environment), induces an electro-chemical reaction that makes the polymer switch from a deactivated to an activated state. The polymer change is characterized by swelling and contracting, similar to human muscle. Building Micromuscle into a device could let it position and guide itself or tools, or it could let components unfold or contract.