Wired has an article talking about how electroactive polymers (EAPs) have gotten stronger and longer lasting. EAPs have gotten strong enough to have a practical self contained robot (NiTi never has gotten this strong). These muscles rival motors in that they're very quiet and very strong and now long lasting enough to use as fans in computers. EAPs can expand to 5 times their size, a feat unproducible by piezoelectric materials. Of course these new EAPs have the Navy's attention. Look for plastic muscles in your robot's future!?

Older Robots.net article...

• The Artificial Muscle Man