'One-of-a-kind' project: Sustainable artificial muscles could enable life-like movement in robots

Plus: Two massive gravity batteries are nearing completion in the US and China [Blueprint]( Sponsored by Good morning, we may be about to enter an age of eco-friendly and ultimately compostable soft robotics. Researchers at the University of Boulder, Colorado, have created robotic muscles that could, among other applications, provide natural-feeling movement in artificial arms and legs used by people with physical impairments. They experimented with various materials before settling on a biodegradable polyester blend commonly used in shopping bags, and were successfully able to naturally dissolve the prototype in soil over a few months. Learn more about this sustainable approach to robotics below. But first, here’s [your video of the day]( . Good morning. I’m Tim, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let us begin. Last Sunday, Blueprint subscribers learned about a new satellite’s mission to take the pulse of all the Earth’s water. Don't miss out — [subscribe to IE+]( today to receive exclusive interviews, features, and much more. VIDEO OF THE DAY [Hybrid air vehicles airlander 10]( [Hybrid air vehicles airlander 10 set to revolutionize air travel]( Airlander 10 is the world's largest aircraft and offers a unique combination of fuel burn, noise, and low emission. MUST READ [Sustainable artificial muscles]( ['One-of-a-kind' project: Sustainable artificial muscles could enable life-like movement in robots]( Soft robotics is an emerging technology with the primary goal of achieving smooth and complex movement by mimicking living organisms. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have created a [new type of robotic actuator]( or “artificial muscle” to perform life-like movements. Because these actuators use eco-friendly materials, Ellen Rumley, co-first author of the new study, said in an official press release: “You could dispose of them in an industrial compost bin. We hope the project will inspire other engineers to develop robotics with sustainability in mind.” One promising application for these soft robots is to assist physically impaired individuals. [Read More]( INNOVATION Two massive gravity batteries are nearing completion in the US and China The basic idea of a gravity battery is to lift a heavy object, such as a large mass of concrete, on a pulley, using energy from a power source. When energy is needed, the object is allowed to descend, and the potential energy is converted back into electricity. Swiss startup Energy Vault is now completing two such units to provide backup for renewables, near Shanghai in China and Texas in the United States. [Read More]( THE SPONSOR OF THE DAY [Smartasset]( [Fazed about managing your finances? Well, all old folks are…]( Managing your bucks is truly an uphill battle post retirement. Whether it’s choosing a bank to save your hard-earned life savings or investing in stocks and bonds to ensure a stable future, making those decisions is a tough job if financial management isn’t really your expertise. A financial advisor can be your guiding light in this case. However, choose the wrong person and you’re doomed to lose out on money. By taking SmartAsset’s retirement quiz, you can get matched with up to three vetted financial advisors in your area who are legally bound to work in your interest. Their concierge service also connects you with a financial advisor for a free initial retirement consultation. Take the [SmartAsset retirement quiz]( to manage your cash and have your life on track! [Read More]( TRANSPORTATION Stockholm launches world’s first autonomous, fully-electric passenger ferry The Swedish capital has become the first city in the world to launch a self-driving, fully-electric commercial passenger ferry. The ferry, an electric catamaran with a capacity of 25 people, will operate between Kungsholmen and Søder Mellarstrand in Stockholm with 15 hours of continuous electric operation every day. The vessel is part of a project aimed at creating more sustainable urban mobility and its green profile is attracting international interest. [Read More]( CULTURE ‘Great Grandfather’: Researchers may have found the world’s oldest tree The current title holder as the world’s oldest tree is Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine in eastern California that is approximately 4,853 years old. But now its legacy is challenged by a gigantic Patagonian cypress in a forest in southern Chile, whose trunk measures four meters in diameter and stands 28 meters tall. A new tree dating techniques gives it an 80% chance of being 5,000 years old. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Do you think renewable energy alone can power industrialized countries? [Yes, no problem]( [No, impossible]( [With a little help from nuclear]( [We should use less power, period.]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS We asked you about the wisdom of allowing AI access to scientific laboratories. Only 8% of you voted against allowing this development. 43% Yes, why not? 43% Only with strict rules 8% No way 5% I, for one, welcome our scientific overlords QUOTE OF THE DAY The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. Robert Swan, environmentalist and explorer THINGS WE LOVE [Wesson Upholstered Arm Chair]( [Playlearn Bubble Tube Lamp]( [KINGLEV Magnetic Levitating Platform]( [Jewell Single Bathroom Vanity]( AND ANOTHER THING - Nanowire networks can [learn and memorize like the human brain]( study says. - NASA's HARP project captures [eerie sounds of Earth's magnetosphere](. - The first mission to Mars: [Can and should it happen by 2033?]( [premium] - [Beer-making mini-robots or “BeerBots]( could speed up the brewing process. (Phys.org) - Novel vaccine printer can generate [100 thumbnail-sized vaccine-filled patches in 48 hours](. - [OpenAI’s hunger for data]( is coming back to bite it. (MIT Review) [Subscribe to IE+]( [About Us]( [Advertise]( [Contact Us]( © Copyright 2023 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 205 Hudson St New York, NY, 10013, USA | All Rights Reserved You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage you e-mail preferences or unsubscribe [here.](