ETH Zurich researchers develop living muscle actuators for robots

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed muscle actuators made from living tissue that can help biohybrid robots move and grasp. The centimeter-scale actuators are grown from mouse muscle cells and attached to artificial scaffolds.

The research is being conducted at the ETH Zurich Soft Robotics Lab under Professor Robert Katzschmann. The team says motion has improved by more than 10 times compared with earlier iterations. Grooves in the scaffold help secure the muscle tissue, and researchers found that the interaction between muscle and scaffold matters alongside the amount of tissue.

The actuators can move more than 1 cm and are shown swimming. Other biohybrid robots in the research have been programmed to walk at 6.2 millimeters per second. The current devices can move only in a nutrient solution that feeds the living muscles.

Co-lead study author Aiste Balciunaite described the design as an iterative process, with the muscle geometry designed from scratch on a computer. She said earlier systems’ flexing could sometimes be seen only under a microscope; the current movement is visible to the naked eye. The researchers also note that living tissue varies in behavior, unlike manufactured components. The team says the work is at an early stage and may have applications in exploration and medicine.