JapaneseThe bio-hybrid bipedal robot with a height of only 3 cm can move, even change direction in water, thanks to muscle contractions.
Bipedal robot walking in water. Video: Science.org
Japanese scientists have created a small bipedal robot that integrates both muscle tissue and artificial materials, and can walk and change direction thanks to muscle contractions. New Scientist reported on May 26. New research published in the journal Matter.
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 to 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.
“This is just basic research. We are not yet at 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 believe it can be done by increasing muscle strength," research team member, expert Shoji Takeuchi at the University of studying in Tokyo, said.
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 biohybrid robot is to develop a version with joints and additional muscle tissue to be able to walk in a more sophisticated way. In addition, it is also necessary to develop thick muscles to increase strength," he said.
“Biohybrid robots are useful tools for studying engineered muscle tissue, while also helping to study how to control biological actuators. As force and control are improved through this type of research, the applicability of such actuators to more complex robots will increase,” said expert Victoria Webster-Wood at Carnegie Mellon University. review.
Thu Thao (Follow New Scientist)