Biohybrid actuators for robotics: A review of devices actuated by living cells

Abstract

Actuation is essential for artificial machines to interact with their surrounding environment and to accomplish the functions for which they are designed. Over the past few decades, there has been considerable progress in developing new actuation technologies. However, controlled motion still represents a considerable bottleneck for many applications and hampers the development of advanced robots, especially at small length scales. Nature has solved this problem using molecular motors that, through living cells, are assembled into multiscale ensembles with integrated control systems. These systems can scale force production from piconewtons up to kilonewtons. By leveraging the performance of living cells and tissues and directly interfacing them with artificial components, it should be possible to exploit the intricacy and metabolic efficiency of biological actuation within artificial machines. We provide a survey of important advances in this biohybrid actuation paradigm.

Biohybrid Design Gets Personal: New Materials for Patient‐Specific Therapy

“…Biohybrid actuators are the first step toward developing tissue‐integrated synthetic hydrogels for other responsive behaviors, such as sensing and processing, that can be applied toward engineering organic–inorganic hybrid machines . Others have built upon the protocol we have developed to integrate neurons and neuromuscular junctions with skeletal muscle actuators, and future studies surrounding the integration of vascular networks or chemical sensors could add further functionality to these machines.…”

Bioinspired Soft Robotic Caterpillar with Cardiomyocyte Drivers

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] With their shape-morphing features, soft robots are more behavioral flexible and adaptable to execute specific tasks. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Based on these features, soft robots have realized numerous biomimetic motorial capabilities, including walking, [29] jumping, [30] pumping, [31] grasping, [32] and camouflaging. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Based on these features, soft robots have realized numerous biomimetic motorial capabilities, including walking, [29] jumping, [30] pumping, [31] grasping, [32] and camouflaging.…”

Biohybrid and Bioinspired Magnetic Microswimmers

“…The second step appears necessary to account for some limitations typically associated with biological organisms such as the reproducibility and the industrial scalability of the envisioned methods . A detailed overview on biohybrids including those limitations and challenges was recently published elsewhere …”

“…[20] A detailed overview on biohybrids including those limitations and challenges was recently published elsewhere. [21] When mankind is able to precisely control microscopic robots (microbots), e.g., inside the human body, drugs would not have to be delivered into the whole body anymore but could be guided toward their targets using individual or swarms of steerable microcarriers to reach effective doses, [15] as depicted in Figure 1. Micro-or nanosurgery scenarios where microbots perform mechanical work such as the cleaning of clogged arteries or biopsies are also envisioned.…”