Mohsen Shahinpoor, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maine has created a robot version of the infamous bug eating Venus Flytrap, using a material he invented himself several years ago. Named ionic polymeric metal composite (IPMC), it's a nanomaterial that can be used to mimic muscle function. Shahinpoor describes in his paper published in Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, how he used this material to recreate the sensing and closing abilities of the Venus Flytrap.
At first glance, the creation of the robot might not seem like much more than a fun little project for an engineer who likes to tinker. On closer inspection however, it becomes clear that the robot Venus Flytrap is actually a demonstration of a new kind of technology that may lead to advances in medical applications. A refined application, for example, could perhaps one day lead to human muscle replacements or help with sensory applications. One example might be restoring facial expressions to people who lose the ability due to a stroke.
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