We're still waiting for when graphene is going to be widely used, but it seems another super material wants to steal its spotlight. Dubbed Vanadium dioxide (VD), it might end up becoming a household name because it not only revolutionizes electronics, but it can be used as an artificial muscle that's 1,000 times stronger than our own.

The material works as an insulator at low temperatures, and becomes an efficient conductor at 67 degrees celsius. Researchers believe VD could lead to faster and more energy-efficient electronics, as well as tiny machines and eventually robots that are more than strong enough to beat down a human uprising.

The team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory built an extremely tiny muscle motor made from VD that could launch objects 50 times heavier than itself over distances five times its length. This stuff is super strong.

Check out the video below: [Berkeley Lab via Newlaunches]