Memory foam-style material ‘offers new possibilities in prosthetics’

The development of prosthetic body parts, artificial organs and soft robotics could be aided by the creation of a new lightweight and stretchable material.

Produced by Cornell University researchers, the material is similar in style to memory foam and offers a number of unique attributes that make it ideally suited to use in prosthetic manufacturing.

A liquid polymer foam is poured into a mould to create the required shape. It features connected pores that allow fluids to be pumped through it, with the material moving and changing its length by up to 300 percent when this happens.

To test the material's function, the team demonstrated a pump designed to mimic both the shape and function of the human heart. Carbon fibre and silicone were used on the outside to fashion a structure that expands at different rates on the surface.

Study author Rob Shepherd, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University, said: "This paper was about exploring the effect of porosity on the actuator, but now we would like to make the foam actuators faster and with higher strength, so we can apply more force. We are also focusing on biocompatibility."