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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Light pulses prod artificial muscle into action

An optical signal triggers mechanical motion thanks to a nerve junction constructed in the laboratory.
A synthetic synapse on a human structure model

A synthetic version (transparent rectangle) of the junction between a neuron and a muscle is shown on a model of a human hand. Credit: Y. Lee et al.

A device inspired by the body’s network of nerve cells could enable wireless control of artificial muscles and prostheses.

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Nature 564, 8 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-07582-9

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