View list of research
View list of research
Cometh the cyborg: improved integration of living muscles into robots
Cometh the cyborg: improved integration of living muscles into robots

Researchers at the University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science developed a novel method of growing whole muscles from hydrogel sheets impregnated with myoblasts. They then incorporated these muscles as antagonistic pairs into a biohybrid robot, which successfully performed manipulations of objects. This approach overcame earlier limitations of a short functional life of the muscles and their ability to exert only a weak force, paving the way for more advanced biohybrid robots.