Soft Robotics is a subfield of robotics that aims to reproduce the versatility of biological organisms by incorporating soft or compliant components into robotic structures, increasing their adaptability and resilience. One key focus of Soft Robotics is the development of muscle-like soft actuators that leverage compliant materials. Artimus Robotics is the only Soft Robotics company that offers soft actuator technology that is electrically controlled, provides continuously variable output, operates at high speeds, and is silent. Artimus Robotics has applied its HASEL actuator technology to a wide variety of industries such as industrial automation, human machine interfaces, and defense.

The term “artificial muscle” is often used as an umbrella term for soft actuator technologies that use bioinspired design in their structure, materials, or operating principles -- to achieve muscle-like performance. HASEL (pronounced "hay-zul") artificial muscles, the proprietary soft actuator technology behind Artimus Robotics, achieve life-like performance with electrically controlled hydraulic structures. HASEL actuators offers a combination of lightweight materials, low power requirements, and controllable output and can be implemented in a variety of form factors and actuation modes. Artificial muscles are finding applications in a wide range of fields such as biomedical devices, industrial automation, virtual and augmented reality, national defense, and many more!

“Actuator” is a fancy word for any device that moves. Fundamentally, they are devices the convert energy into mechanical motion. Actuators can be used to automatically open and close valves in an HVAC system, roll down your car window, or to drive movement of a robotic arm. Actuators are found in consumer devices--the vibration of your phone comes from a compact haptic actuator. Actuators aren’t just found in human-made systems; in fact, our muscles are a great example of a high performance and versatile actuator. While we don't call them "actuators" in the same way we do in engineering, they serve the same function: causing motion or physical change.

When a voltage is applied across the opposing electrodes, one electrode becomes positively charged and the other negatively charged. Since opposite charges attract, the electrodes squeeze together and displace the liquid in between them to the region of the pouch that is not covered by electrodes. This process results in an overall shape change of the soft structure. Using this basic principle (below), actuators can be created to achieve different types of motion such as expansion and contraction, while featuring controllable, fast, and efficient operation.

HASEL actuators require high voltage DC power (3-8kV depending on operating circumstances). We suggest that you only control our HASEL actuators with our in-house designed power supply, which is specifically developed to power HASEL actuators.

We know how to spell, we promise. Not to be confused with the greek goddess Artemis, the founding team of Artimus Robotics took inspiration from its core technology, HASELs which provide artificial, muscle-like actuation to form a portmanteau of “artificial” and “muscle” to become “Artimus.”

Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic (HASEL) actuators are a commercialized soft robotic motion technology, featuring muscle-like performance, that spun out of the Keplinger Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder and published in Science Magazine in 2018. Artimus Robotics commercialized in 2020 by the core inventors building off their PhD dissertation work in mechanical engineering and materials science. To learn more, check out this short video below:

Artimus warranties that all new HV electronics will be free from manufacturers defects for one (1) year from date of arrival to you. Artimus will work with you to ensure that you are satisfied with your product over its lifespan. Please reach out to request a full terms and conditions of sale.