<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><div><span>Alan,</span></div><div><span>I could not find the air muscle area in the site. I assume it is the same idea as an air bag in truck suspension. There are two problems with using air bags in underwater service. You could only use the bag at one depth at a time because the air would expand or compress at different depths. You could deflate the bag then change depth and start over. In an arm application the bag would be erratic to operate, it would have a bounce to it. Mind you the deeper you went the less bounce because there would be more resistance. The bag system would be good for leak resistance, but what do you do with the return air. You would have to dump it overboard. I did look at air powering an arm, both direct air to
cylinder and air over hydraulic. My uneducated conclusion was, to complicated and not much duration. My log salvage rov had an air powered grapple. We did that for speed and environmental issues. We had a constant air supply to the rov though.</span></div><div><span>Hank</span></div><div class="yahoo_quoted" style="display: block;"> <br> <br> <div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div dir="ltr"> <font face="Arial" size="2"> On Thursday, January 23, 2014 3:31:33 AM, Alan James <alanlindsayjames@yahoo.com> wrote:<br> </font> </div> <div class="y_msg_container"><div id="yiv4314402192"><div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div>Hi Psubbers,</div><div>was looking through a robotics book & came across an actuator called an "air muscle".</div><div>It's basically a balloon with attachments on either end that contracts <span style="font-size: 10pt;">when pressurized </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">with air. </span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Here is an instructable on how to make one.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span>http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-air-muscles!/?ALLSTEPS<br></span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color:
transparent;'><span>They are a cheap alternative to a pneumatic cylinder & can generate more lifting force</span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span>in the 3&1/2 to 6 bar range.</span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span>As we all carry compressed air, I thought there may be some application that it could be</span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span>useful for, such as opening the ballast valves remotely or releasing emergency buoys
etc.</span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span>They are used on robotic arms, so perhaps a manipulator could be, or has been made with them.</span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span>Anybody had any experience with them??? I also found them under fluidic muscle.</span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span>Alan</span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;
font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span><br></span></div><div style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent;'><span><br></span></div><div><br></div></div></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>Personal_Submersibles mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org" ymailto="mailto:Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org">Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org</a><br><a href="http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles" target="_blank">http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles</a><br><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div></body></html>