Irish scientists create maths formula for better soft membrane tech results

The technology behind materials used in artificial muscles and ‘smart clothes’ could be significantly advanced thanks to new Irish research. 

The kind of soft membranes in question are likened to that seen in a sequence of the Batman Begins movie, where a huge bat cape emerges from a tiny folded piece of material.

However, beyond the world of comic-hero cinema, these dielectric membranes are used to develop artificial muscles, soft robotics, energy harvesters and smart clothes. While the materials used in such creations deploy and stiffen when put under high voltage, the breaking point of the membrane was not known.