MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Photo Caption                                      

These photographs demonstrate the use of artificial muscles, or
electroactive polymers (EAPs), which are lightweight strips of 
highly flexible plastic that bend and function similarly to human 
fingers when electrical voltage is applied to them. JPL's Dr. 
Yoseph Bar-Cohen and a small team of scientists and engineers are 
working to turn these strips into grippers and strings which can 
grab and lift loads, among many other potential uses, as a way of 
simplifying robotic spacecraft tasks. Further information about 
Bar-Cohen's research is available at: http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov .