Spiketon M1: The Synthetic Muscle That Crawls

We didn’t want to build just another linear actuator. We wanted to build a muscle. Something that crawls, grips, and pushes, just like nature intended.

Meet Spiketon M1. Compact, solid-state, and open-source.

The Problem: Motion Systems Need Strong and Compact Muscles, Actuators, Motors, anything that has precise, long travel with force.

In many systems, robots, medical tools, and embedded mechanisms, space is tight, and motors don’t fit. Gears jam, magnets interfere, and bearings wear out. Traditional actuators are too rigid, too bulky, or too slow.

We needed something soft, strong, and smart. Something that can crawl through channels, grip rails, or pull a load like a tendon.

The Solution: Inchworm-Like Motion in a Steel Frame

Spiketon M1 uses three tiny piezoelectric stacks embedded in a flexible frame. Each stack expands when powered:

• 🟩 Green stacks grip, pushing side “legs” outward

• 🟧 Orange stack stretches or contracts the frame body

  
  

The result? An inchworm gait:

1. Front legs grip the rail

2. Body stretches forward

3. Back legs grip, front legs release

4. Body contracts, pulling rear forward. Repeat that at high frequency, and you get precise, repeatable, crawling motion.

   
   

What Makes It Special

Spiketon M1 is:

• Modular: Can move itself or move the rail

• Strong: A 2x3 mm stack can push 100–300N, enough to move 10–30kg

• Silent and precise: No motors, no gears

• Environmental-proof: Works in radiation, vacuum, or extreme heat

• Muscle-like: Can pull on tendons just like a bicep

  
  

We’ve prototyped versions in aerospace-grade steel, titanium alloy, and even sword-grade carbon steel (yes, seriously). Each design iteration got smaller, faster, and smarter.

Why We’re Sharing It

Spiketon M1 isn’t a lab demo. It’s real hardware, designed to be built by others. We’re releasing it open-source under CERN OHL so engineers, researchers, and builders can take it further.

You’ll find:

• CAD files

• Material specs

• Design tips

• Example integrations (XY stages, rail sliders, medical crawlers)

  
  

This is a new way to do motion, inspired by nature, built for robotics.