Electropermanent Magnetic Muscles: Power‐Efficient, Low‐Voltage, Compact Magnetic Actuators to Power Wearables and Untethered Robots

Artificial muscles are essential for advancing bio‐inspired robots, prosthetics, and wearable devices, as they enable compliant, efficient actuation without complex mechanisms. Existing actuation technologies often face limitations such as high voltage requirements, low efficiency, or tethering constraints. This work introduces a solenoid‐based actuator system utilizing soft‐magnetic and hard‐magnetic materials to achieve portable bistable actuation, reducing energy consumption by only requiring power during state transitions. The actuators demonstrate low‐voltage operation, competitive stress and strain performance, and high power efficiency, making them ideal for untethered robots and wearable devices. Preliminary applications in a prosthetic hand and an amphibious robot highlight their potential in terms of low energy consumption, simplicity, and safety.