Japan creates a robot with living muscles that can walk in water

Previously, a number of bio-hybrid robots with the ability to crawl and swim were built with muscles developed in the laboratory. However, the new robot is the first bipedal robot that can turn and make sharp turns. It does this by sending electricity into one leg to cause the muscle to contract, while the other leg remains stationary. The muscle acts as a biological actuator - a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical force.

The robot is only 3 cm tall, cannot currently stand on its own in the air and has a foam float that helps it stand in a water tank. Its muscles are grown from mouse cells in the laboratory.

Illustration.

"This is just basic research. We have not yet reached the stage where we can use this robot anywhere. For it to work in the air, we need to solve many related problems, but we I believe it can be done by increasing muscle strength," said research team member, expert Shoji Takeuchi at the University of Tokyo.

The robot is still very slow by human standards, moving only 5.4 mm per minute. It also took more than a minute to turn 90 degrees, given that it received electrical stimulation every 5 seconds. To walk in the air instead of in water, the robot also needs a nutrient supply system to help maintain the life of muscle tissue.

Takeuchi hopes the team can make the robot move faster by optimizing the electrical stimulation pattern and improving the design. "The next step with this bio-hybrid robot is to develop a version with joints and additional muscle tissue to be able to walk in a more sophisticated way. It will also be necessary to develop thick muscles to increase strength." strong," he said.

"Biohybrid robots are useful tools for studying engineered muscle tissue, and also help research how to control biological actuators. As force and control are enhanced through this type of research , the possibility of applying such actuators to more complex robots will increase," commented expert Victoria Webster-Wood at Carnegie Mellon University.

Lesley Montoya

Update 02 April 2024