Release date: 2014-07-09
A new generation of miniature bio-robots can contract muscles. Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign show a class of walking "bio-bots" that are driven by muscle cells and controlled by electrical impulses, and researchers can give orders to them. Related papers are published online in the recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Whether you want to make any kind of biological robot, cell-driven biostimulation is a basic requirement,†said Rushd Bashl, director of bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who is in charge of the study. "We are integrating engineering principles with biology, designing and developing bio-robots and systems for environmental and medical applications. Biology is very powerful, and if we can learn to take advantage of it, it will bring a lot of good things."
The Bashir team used 3D printing technology to create a flexible robot composed of a hydrogel and living cells. Previously, they used a beating mouse heart cell to create a biological robot that could "walk" themselves, but the heart cells kept shrinking, making it impossible for them to control the movement of the robot. Therefore, it is very difficult to design a biological robot with heart cells. It cannot switch, speed up or slow down at will.
The newly designed biological robot is inspired by the natural tendon bones. According to a recent report by physicists, they use 3D printed hydrogels to make the main bone, which supports both biological structures and joints. Then anchor a muscle to the main bone, just like the tendon attaches the muscle to the bone. The speed of the biological robot is controlled by the frequency of the electric pulse. The higher the frequency, the faster the muscle contraction and the faster the biological robot goes.
"Skelet muscle cells are very attractive, you can use external signals to adjust its pace," Bashir said. "For example, design a device that allows it to sense a certain chemical or receive a signal. Start working, you can use skeletal muscle. We use it as one of the design tools, engineers have different solutions when designing."
“This is entirely natural, and our research is based on bionic design principles, such as the self-organization of the musculoskeletal system.†The first author and graduate student Carolyn Cittkovic said, “This achievement represents the development of biological machines. An important step in control, to stimulate, train, or train them to work. This system may eventually evolve into a generation of biologics for drug delivery, surgical robots, 'smart' transplants, mobile environment analyzers, and more."
Next, the researchers will strengthen control of the movement of the organism, like integrated neurons, using light or chemicals to control the movement of the organism in different directions. “Our goal is to use these devices as 'autonomous sensors',†Bashir said. “For example, let it feel a certain chemical, move toward it and release the neutralizer. The stimulus control biologic is here. A big step forward in the goal."
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Shaanxi Hongbaiyi Biotech Co., Ltd. , https://www.sxhongbaiyi.com