Remote-Controlled, Muscle-Driven, Battery-Free Robots
A team studied remote-controlled biohybrid robots using mouse-cell-based optogenetic muscle actuators and wireless optoelectronics. The aim was to bring together optoelectronics, biological muscle tissue actuators, and 3D-printed hydrogel scaffolds.
Transcript
00:00:04 this study presents remote controlled biohybrid robots using Mouse cell-based optogenetic muscle actuators and Wireless optoelectronics these biohybrid robots were designed and fabricated to bring together three different classes of components Wireless optoelectronics biological muscle tissue actuators and 3D printed hydrogel scaffolds
00:00:28 for the electronics fabrication we utilized a UV laser ablation process to cut out the optoelectronic circuit layout the device contains a circular receiver antenna coil and optoelectronic components a customized software connected to the transmission antenna using the power distribution box was used to control the
00:00:48 stimulation protocols through near field communication technology in real time for the 3D printed scaffold the centimeter scale hydrogel structure was designed and printed the optogenetic myoblast cells were Seated on the 3D printed mold and differentiated into myotubes to form the muscle actuator around the hydrogel skeleton using tweezers the opto electronic
00:01:17 device was assembled onto the skeleton for the optoelectronic device to stimulate the muscle actuator we call this biohybrid robot an ebiobot remote controlled LEDs stimulate the muscle actuator resulting in deflections of the soft hydrogel scaffold which subsequently creates a walking movement in the e-biobot with a speed of about 0.8 millimeters per second
00:01:40 the scaffold is carefully designed to be asymmetric resulting in net movement of the e-biobot in One Direction we computationally modeled e-biobot walking using the solver Elastica and optimally designed the scaffold characteristics so that the muscle contractions could give rise to the maximum forward walking speed of e-biobot
00:02:01 we also attached 3D printed accessory tools to enable the e-biobot to complete other robotic functions such as plowing and transporting and a step towards enhanced maneuverability a higher order bipedal architecture was designed to have two muscle actuators in combination with a microcontroller containing Advanced optoelectronics device
00:02:26 the bipedal e biobot with different stimulations on the left and right muscle actuators could allow the e-biobot to turn and be controlled to move through an obstacle course we demonstrated a console system connected with several Gaming controllers for the individual manipulation of multiple e-biobots in the video three bipedal ebiobots are
00:02:58 manipulated by three Gaming controllers to make a capital I shape