Modular Living Muscle‐Based Biomimetic Actuators for Biosyncretic Robots
Lianchao Yang, Chuang Zhang, Hengshen Qin, Ruiqian Wang, Yiwei Zhang, Qi Zhang, Jia Yang, Lianqing Liu
Abstract
ABSTRACT Biosyncretic robots that integrate living materials present unique advantages for advancing robotic research. Compared with traditional robots, biosyncretic robots offer potential benefits such as higher energy efficiency and enhanced biocompatibility. Among various bioactuators, skeletal muscle tissue (SMT) is particularly favored for its scalability, potential to generate high driving forces, and controllable on/off actuation. However, current SMT actuators often face challenges, including a limited driving force and suboptimal practical designs, which may impede the development of biosyncretic robots. To address these limitations, this work proposes a method for fabricating modular SMT actuators. By leveraging biomimetic design and structural optimization, the contractile performance of SMT is significantly improved. The actuators achieved a maximum contractile force of 2.92 ± 0.07 mN, demonstrated approximately 28% contractile strain under unloaded conditions, and notably exhibited responsive single‐twitch contractions to electrical stimulation frequencies up to 10 Hz. This electrical response performance outperforms that of most existing biosyncretic robot studies. In addition, the modular SMT is highly adaptable and can be easily assembled to construct human‐like muscle actuators, including convergent, parallel, and bipennate muscles. By integrating rigid‐flexible coupled nonliving structures, various SMT‐driven biosyncretic robots, such as caterpillar, dolphin, and manta ray robots, have been successfully developed. This research presents an innovative approach to constructing large, high‐performance, multifunctional skeletal muscle actuators and design of robots, contributing significantly to advancements in both biosyncretic robots (or biohybrid robots) and tissue engineering.