Monolithic Biohybrid Flexure Mechanism Actuated by Bioengineered Skeletal Muscle Tissue
Skeletal muscle tissue represents an attractive powering component for biohybrid robots, as traditional actuators used in the soft robotic context often rely on complex mechanisms and lack scalability at small dimensions. This article proposes a monolithic biohybrid flexure mechanism actuated by a bioengineered skeletal muscle tissue. The design leverages the contractile properties of a bioengineered skeletal muscle to produce a bending motion in a monolithic, tubular mechanism made of a soft and biocompatible silicone blend. This structure integrates two cylindrical pillars that facilitate force transmission from the bioengineered muscle tissue. Performance assessments reveal excellent contractile and stable behavior upon electrical stimulation, compared to current biohybrid actuation systems, with enhanced performance as the mechanism's internal and external diameters decrease. Finite‐element simulations further reveal distinct force–displacement responses in mechanisms with different flexural rigidity. This innovative, scalable, and easy‐to‐fabricate design represents a significant step forward in the development of novel biohybrid machines.
Authors
- Massimo Barbaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6136-7664)
- Riccardo Collu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7895-5956)
- Lorena Guachi‐Guachi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8951-8150)
- Francesco Iacoponi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3914-1957)
- Maria Crespo‐Cuadrado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6249-944X)
- Leonardo Ricotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8797-3742)
- Judith Fuentes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2639-6907)
- María Florencia Lezcano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5033-9526)
- Samuel Sánchez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9713-9997)
- Stefano Lai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2359-1865)
- Carlotta Salvatori
- Lorenzo Vannozzi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3525-5073)
- Daniele Guarnera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6457-0676)
- Andrea Bartolucci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5677-594X)
Institutions
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES)
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (IT)
- University of Cagliari (IT)
- Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (ES)
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Intelligent Systems
- Published
- 2025-05-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202400989
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.36
Funders
- Centres de Recerca de Catalunya
- European Commission
- Generalitat de Catalunya
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación