Artificial Muscles

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Here is the article.>Becky

Scattered across the globe, dozens of research teams are working on computer

chips that will be implanted in the brain or spinal cord to give artificial

vision to the

blind, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the victims of stroke. Other

laboratories

and companies are developing products that will regulate bladder function for

the

incontinent, restore movement to the paralyzed, and give back muscle control to

people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease).

Artificial kidneys and blood vessels are being tested in several labs, including

the

McGowan Center for Artificial Organ Development at the University of

Pittsburgh. At the University of New Mexico's Artificial Muscle Research

Institute, scientists are developing polymer-metal composites that could serve

as

replacement muscles for patients suffering such afflictions as muscular

dystrophy.