Communications of the ACM
Researchers Build Microscopic Biohybrid Robots Propelled by Muscles, Nerves
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed soft robotic devices driven by neuromuscular tissue that triggers when stimulated by light.
Credit: Michael Vincent
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed soft biohybrid robots impelled by neuromuscular tissue that activates in response to light.
The team used computational models to optimize the swimming devices' abilities.
UIUC's Mattia Gazzola said simulations played a crucial role in designing the scaffold around which the biobots grow in order to maximize locomotion, "as we can span a number of possible designs and select only the most promising ones for testing in real life."
Added UIUC's Taher Saif, “Given our understanding of neural control in animals, it may be possible to move forward with biohybrid neuromuscular design by using a hierarchical organization of neural networks.”
From Illinois News Bureau
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2019 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
No entries found