Muscle loss between age 40 and 80 strips away 30% to 50% of muscle mass, leaving millions unable to grip a cup, stand from a chair, or control their bladder. The emPOWER programme plans to implant artificial muscles directly into the body—tiny robotic fibres that contract and relax like real tissue—to replace or supplement damaged muscle where wearable braces and regenerative medicine fall short. This matters because current assistive technologies sit outside the body and cannot restore fine control or internal function. Stroke survivors lose hand precision. Urinary incontinence affects 3 to 6 million people in the UK, and 24% of older people. Degenerative myopathy, soft-tissue cancers, and venous ulceration all involve muscle failure that existing treatments cannot fully reverse. If the artificial muscles work, a person with sarcopenia could regain strength and coordination for daily tasks. A stroke survivor could recover hand control. Incontinence could become treatable with an internal, controllable sphincter. The project bridges nanoscale energy conversion and centimetre-scale muscle action, using minimally invasive surgery for implantation. The team includes experts in soft robotics, synthetic biology, polymer chemistry, and clinical partners in urology, geriatrics, and neuro-rehabilitation. Within five years they aim to deliver proof-of-concept devices, with healthcare and economic impact projected to 2050.
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Muscles help us move, enable us to interact with objects and the environment, and regulate critical internal functions. Unfortunately, they are susceptible to damage due to disease, ageing and trauma and are a central factor in diverse serious healthcare conditions including sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass and function, where decline in muscle mass between 40 and 80 years ranges from 30% to 50%), stroke, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, soft-tissue cancers, venous ulceration, diabetes, degenerative myopathy and incontinence (between 3 and 6 million people in the UK, and 24% of older people, suffer from urinary incontinence). The emPower Transformative Healthcare Technologies 2050 programme will overcome the limitations of current wearable assistive technologies and regenerative medicine by deploying engineered robotic artificial muscular assistance inside the body, exactly where it is needed, to: 1. restore strength and control in mobility and manipulation in older people who have lost muscle strength and precision; and 2. restore controllable muscular capabilities for sufferers of trauma, stroke, incontinence and degenerative diseases. This will have significant knock-on effects on whole-body and mind health through increased confidence, independence and quality of life, massively reducing the healthcare burden and facilitating the return of sufferers to productive and fulfilling lives. The emPOWER artificial muscles will be engineered to bridge the gap between the nanoscale of fundamental energy transduction phenomena and the centimetre scale of bulk muscle action, and will be implantable using minimally invasive (including robot-assisted) surgery and advanced imaging to replace or supplement ailing muscles, providing short-term rehabilitation, long-term assistance or complete functional restoration as needed. To achieve our vision, we have brought together leading experts in soft robotics, regenerative medicine, bio-interfacing, smart structures, synthetic biology, polymer chemistry, self-assembly, bio-printing and tissue analysis, and clinical partners in neuro-rehabilitation, cardiovascular disease, head and neck surgery, urology, geriatrics and musculoskeletal medicine. Together, and with key industrial and social care partners, we will deliver the foundational technologies and first-stage proof-of-concept of the emPOWER artificial muscles within the five years of this transformative project, leading to major healthcare, economic and social impact to 2050 and beyond.
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