Minuscule Swiss fiber motor keeps robots squishy and pliable
By
Ben CoxworthOctober 11, 2026
Minuscule Swiss fiber motor keeps robots squishy and pliable
The thin, flexible FiberMotor could have applications not only in soft robotics, but also in assistive garments, haptic feedback systems, and prosthetics
EPFL
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Four bundled FiberMotors lift a chocolate bar
EPFL
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The team also integrated the FiberMotor into a prototype assistive garment to fit the shape of a knee
EPFL
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The thin, flexible FiberMotor could have applications not only in soft robotics, but also in assistive garments, haptic feedback systems, and prosthetics
EPFL
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A close look at the FiberMotor's fiber-within-a-fiber design
EPFL
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FiberMotors can be made in a wide variety of lengths
EPFL
View gallery - 5 imagesIf you've already designed a soft-bodied robot, it kind of defeats the purpose if you just go and stick a rigid motor inside of it. That's why Swiss scientists have created a motor that takes the form of a thin, flexible fiber.
Known as the FiberMotor, the device was developed by a team of researchers at the EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) university in Switzerland. It builds upon a previous EPFL innovation, which incorporatesliquid-pumping tubular fibersinto clothing.
Ranging in diameter from 1 to 3 millimeters, each FiberMotor is in fact composed oftwoconcentric hollow polymer fibers – a wider one on the outside, with a narrower one nested inside of it. Thin copper wire is tightly wound around each of the fibers, serving as an electrodeoneach fiber.
When an electrical current is applied to these electrodes, electrostatic forces repeatedly pull the fibers into alignment with one another, causing the inner fiber to slide within the outer one.
Utilizing that pulling force in lab tests, individual FiberMotors were able to support stationary loads equivalent to about 75 g (2.6 oz), while four of the motors bundled together could lift a 46-g (1.6-oz) chocolate bar and flex a tendon-driven robotic finger.
And importantly, because there are no gears or transmissions, the FiberMotor is back-driveable. This means that if it's pushed by an external opposing force, it won't lock up.
The scientists are now working on boosting the durability and performance of the technology via spinoff companyElecsyor, and hope to integrate the FiberMotors into items such as mobility-assisting clothing, VR haptic feedback systems, and lightweight prosthetic devices.
“Our FiberMotor is the first fiber-format, sliding motor,” says Herbert Shea, head of EPFL's Soft Transducers Lab. “It produces enough force to actuate devices for soft robotic applications, while remaining silent, flexible, and bidirectional.”
A paper on the research was recently published in the journalAdvanced Materials.
FiberMotor: a flexible linear coaxial electrostatic motor in fiber format
Source:EPFL
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RoboticsEPFLSoft RoboticsArtificial MusclesNo commentsNo commentsBen CoxworthBased out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
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