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 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. Seen here are 
EAP actuators that are planned for use as miniature wipers to 
clear dust off the viewing windows of optical and infrared 
science instruments on the Mu Space Engineering Spacecraft 
(MUSES-CN) nanorover. This mission, led by the Japanese space 
agency ISAS, is designed to land the palm-sized rover on an 
asteroid following its 2002 launch and return a sample of the 
asteroid to Earth. Further information about JPL's EAP research 
is available at: http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov .