I'm searching for some (artificial) material which will contract significantly, or otherwise change it's shape, when electricity is passed through it. yes, I know that muscle tissues do this, but I'm not interested in those, because it's too much maintenance and if you want to make a robotic arms with muscles you might as well start at the other end of the spectrum and just train a monkey.

no, I'm looking for anything that will change shape- preferably shrink, but possibly grow- when an electric current is passed through it. DC, AC, whatever, doesn't matter. and I'm not interested in things that take billions of joules to accomplish. as far as I care, it could be goat semen mixed with baking soda and gatorade, I just want to know that there's some material out there that can do this.

thanks in advance.

goat semen mixed with baking soda and gatorade

Pretty sure that won't work.

Also, what quantities are you looking for? I know of a substance, easily obtained/made but it only works in certain quantities.

lol I love how you sound like you have no idea what your talking about listen you don't have to pretend to act smart to impress people its not working

Nitrol wire can accomplish this. It doesn't shrink much, and the only reason it shrinks/contracts is because the electricity heats the wire.

What you're asking for simply isn't feasible right now. They've held competitions with robotic arms that use electroreactive polymers, and the arms couldn't even beat a 17 year old high school girl.

If you're trying to make a robot of some sort with artificial muscle, look no further:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-air-muscles!/

i dont think there is any material that would do it with enough friction

what i would do is make something like an electromagnet. basically, theres two cylinders, one larger than the other. the small one fits inside the large one and can move like a piston. in the inside of the large cylinder, there is a coil. when you pass the current through, it becomes a magnet and pulls the piston downwards, simulating a contraction of sorts. then you can rig the piston to whatever you want. but the problem is, youll need a lot of electricity for the piston to pull back with a lot of force. im no expert in electronics, but i think if you increase the voltage, it might overheat easily. in addition, it will only contract, youll need another force to pull it back up (which is how muscles operate anyway). i wouldnt use a spring, as then the magnet, strained enough as it is from friction would need to overcome the force of the spring

i will draw an ascii diagram.
|.....|..|....|
|.....|..|....|
|.....|_|....|
|___m__|

where m is the electromagnet

an alternative is to create something similar to that of a motor. when the electrical current is passed, it drives a motor, pulling on a string on a pulley

Oh, you want it to fight? I can't help then.

These are called piezoelectric materials.

http://www.matweb.com/

http://www.piezo-kinetics.com/

These are called piezoelectric materials.

I call them expensive, and next to impossible for an average joe to make.

I call them expensive, and next to impossible for an average joe to make.

You my friend are brilliant and your insights make it obvious that you are wise beyond your years. I was wondering what kind of car to get to replace my old beater that broke down for the last time. Having been enlightened by your wisdom, I shall now walk the 12 miles to my office. I shall also stop wasting money purchasing my food and simply hunt the small animals in my neighborhood for nourishment. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Solenoid?

Maybe hook an assistant up to a few hundred volts, then zap him/her when you want it to move?

Having been enlightened by your wisdom, I shall now walk the 12 miles to my office.

Remember to leave about 2 hours early, and don't hitch a ride if the vehicle smells like wet french fries.