EPFL releases FiberMotor, a fiber motor that uses sliding fibers to drive flexible robots without gears

Researchers at EPFL's Soft Transducers Laboratory have introduced FiberMotor, a thread-like motor that converts electrical energy directly into motion; the work was published in Advanced Materials. FiberMotor is 1–3 mm in diameter and consists of two concentric hollow fibers. A slightly thicker-than-a-hair insulated copper wire electrode is densely wound around the outside of the fibers; when voltage is applied, electrostatic force makes the inner fiber slide inside the outer fiber like a telescope, so no gears or transmission are needed and it can be driven in reverse.