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Air Muscle Actuators - Bio-Robotics

Air muscle are soft pneumatic devices for ideally suited for robotics and animatronics. Developed in the 1950's by J.L. McKibben, like biological muscles, air muscles contract when activated.Air muscles contract when pressurized with gas air. Simple systems use a small air pump or compressor.  The size of the air muscle and the air pressure determines the weight of the load it can pull when it contracts. Typically air muscles can contact up to twenty five percentage of their elongated length.

Article on building and using air muscles.

Air Muscles



Name: AM-01
Length: 150mm
Diameter: 12mm
Load pulled at 3.5 bars: 3 Kilos
Load pulled at 50 PSI: 6.5 lbs
25% Contraction with load of: 3 lbs

AM-01 - $26.75

Name: AM-01L
Length: 300mm
Diameter: 12mm
Load pulled at 3.5 bars: 3 Kilos
Load pulled at 50 PSI: 6.5 lbs
25% Contraction with load of: 3 lbs

AM-01L - $34.95

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Name: AM-02
Length: 210mm
Diameter: 20mm
Load pulled at 3.5 bars: 20 Kilos
Load pulled at 50 PSI: 45 lbs
25% Contraction with load of: 25 lbs

AM-02 - $60.00

Name: AM-02L
Length: 420mm
Diameter: 20mm
Load pulled at 3.5 bars: 20 Kilos
Load pulled at 50 PSI: 45 lbs
25% Contraction with load of: 25 lbs

AM-02L - $80.00

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Manual 3-way Air Valve


AV3-01

Manual 3-way air valve.
Maximum pressure approximately 50 psi.

AV3-01 - $5.95

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Valve Type: 2 way Normally Closed
Description: Nitinol air valve
Pressure: 75 PSI Forward Direction
Reverse Pressure: 35 PSI Max (40 PSI Relief)

Operating Voltage:1.6 V On/Max 5V
Current Draw: 0.8 to 2.5 A

AV2-01 - $29.95

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For more information and a tutorial see Air Muscle Article.

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