Scientists demonstrate robot with live muscles grown from rat cells
Live muscle tissue grown in the laboratory from rat cells by engineers helped the bipedal robot walk underwater without the use of motors. The muscles are driven by electrical signals that cause it to contract.
In the future, the engineers plan to improve the design of the muscles so that they do not dry out in the air, and the robots can walk not only in water, New Scientist reports. The article by the robot’s developers was published in Matter.
Why do you need to work your muscles?
This is not the first time engineers have used muscles cultured in the laboratory for robots: they make them more flexible, quieter, and easier to build, because the muscle is already a ready-made propulsion mechanism. However, they are not yet very mobile and cannot change their trajectory abruptly, so they are not suitable for use in hard-to-reach environments.
In their work, the engineers at the University of Tokyo managed to make the robot with muscles more maneuverable – in addition to walking, it can turn sharply. To do this, electric voltage is applied only to the muscles of one leg, so that it turns the robot up to 90 degrees. For running – at a maximum speed of 5.4 millimeters per minute – the scientists apply voltage alternately to each robotic leg with an electrode.
In the future, the engineers plan to develop a system that will supply the muscles with nutrients and prevent them from drying out in the air – robots with such muscles will be able to participate in underwater research, search for victims of natural disasters, or inspect hard-to-reach components on construction sites or airplanes.
