Carbon Nanotubes With a Mighty Twist

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There is a high demand for actuator materials that can convert heat, light or electricity into twisting or tensile motion. Many such “artificial muscles” have been developed, but common problems include slow response times, short lifetimes, and low energy efficiency. Now, twist-spun carbon nanotube yarns developed by Lima et al. can be used for linear or torsional actuation and solve many of the limitations of other artificial muscle technologies.