Biohybrid robots

In Japan, a robot with live muscles was created

Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science

Engineers from Tokyo have developed a biohybrid robot that simulates the movements of a human finger. The device uses live rat muscle cells.

You can see how cyborgs work here.
Video: Shoji Takeuchi, Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo

Researchers from the University of Tokyo presented a biohybrid robot created on the basis of living muscle tissue of a rat and a frame made of metal and plastic. The device simulates the movements of a human finger, it is able to move small objects by bending at the joint. A description of the development was published in the journal Science Robotics (Morimoto et al., Biohybrid robot powered by an antagonistic pair of skeletal muscle tissues).

Working on other designs, engineers found out that traditional materials – plastic and metal – do not allow reproducing the movements and flexibility of human fingers. The material for the robot's muscles were thin hydrogel plates covered with rat myoblasts – young muscle cells, from which striated muscle tissue subsequently develops. The plates were fixed on a frame made of metal and plastic.

The robot's muscles contract when an electric current is applied to them. In order for the artificial finger to move in the same way as a human finger, engineers reproduced the work of paired muscles – agonists and antagonists. When one of the muscles in the pair contracts, the other relaxes. According to the developers, with such well-coordinated work, artificial muscles "live" longer than in previous experiments where single muscles were used.

The joint of the new robot bends almost 90°, which allows you to perform relatively complex tasks. Now the robot is able to lift objects and move them. The use of living tissue imposes certain restrictions: for example, the device can only work in water, because with constant movement, the muscle quickly wears out. Now the life span of an artificial muscle is no more than a week.

One of the developers, engineer Shoji Takeuchi, says: "If we can combine more of these muscles in one device, we will be able to reproduce the complex muscle interaction that allows the hands, palms and other parts of the body to function. Although our development is only a preliminary stage, this approach can be a big step towards creating more complex biohybrid systems."

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