通过开发功能强大、重量轻、结构紧凑的执行机构，机器人的性能和多功能性可以显著提高。肌肉已被证明是一种有效的驱动器，在广泛的生物运动控制系统。最近的技术进步，特别是在微制造方面，使得制造具有自然肌肉某些优点的致动器成为可能。本文综述了几种不同技术的研究及其在肌肉类致动器开发中的应用，然后描述了一种可使用传统微加工技术制造的静电人工肌肉的设计概念。

THE PERFORMANCE AND VERSATILITY OF ROBOTIC MANIPULATORS CAN BE DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF POWERFUL LIGHTWEIGHT AND COMPACT ACTUATORS. MUSCLE HAS PROVED TO BE AN EFFECTIVE ACTUATOR IN A WIDE RANGE OF BIOLOGICAL MOTION CONTROL SYSTEMS. RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES, PARTICULARLY IN MICRO-FABRICATION, HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE TO FABRICATE ACTUATORS THAT OFFER SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF NATURAL MUSCLE. THIS PAPER SURVEYS RESEARCH IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES WITH APPLICATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSCLE-LIKE ACTUATORS, AND THEN DESCRIBES A DESIGN CONCEPT FOR AN ELECTROSTATIC ARTIFICIAL MUSCLE THAT CAN BE FABRICATED USING CONVENTIONAL MICROFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY.