The Unlikely Inspiration for Artificial Muscles The latest research from North Carolina State University has left scientists pondering a tiny single celled organism with an extraordinary ability: Spirostomum ambiguum can shrink to one quarter its size in milliseconds.
This giant ciliate's remarkable capacity to contract and relax at high speed holds secrets that researchers hope will guide the development of faster artificial muscles.
A New Paradigm for Muscle Function Spirostomum ambiguum relies on calcium ions and a specialized protein network, rather than adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which powers human muscles.