Living tissue could fuel robots that grow, heal and move like humans

A new research paper suggests scientists are working on designing robots that could live on muscle cells like humans, ditching gears and motors.
Led by Dr. Su Ryon Shin of Harvard Medical School, engineers and biologists are working on fusing living tissue with synthetic structures to create humanoids and robots that behave more like human beings.
The current experiment is a part of the emerging field known as ‘biohybrid robotics’, in which the researchers are using advanced fabrication technologies to build, control, and sustain such systems.
If the research proves successful, the next generation of robots might flex, contract, and grow using living muscle.
From steel to cells
To achieve their goals, scientists use two types of muscles. First is the skeletal muscle, which moves when it receives an electric signal. Second is the cardiac muscle, which beats on its own to provide continuous, coordinated motion.
Both muscles offer unique advantages, but equally present a set of challenges. Muscle tissue is delicate, demanding, and short-lived outside a human body. To survive, it needs nutrients, oxygen, and the right environment.
These requirements are difficult to maintain in a robotic system, and that’s precisely where fabrication tools come in.
The importance of fabrication
The research paper has highlighted four key methods: 3D bioprinting, electrospinning, microfluidics, and self-assembly. These methods allow scientists to arrange muscle cells precisely and nurture them within engineered scaffolds.
With these techniques, cells can align, grow, and contract in unison, turning living tissue patches into functional actuators.
“Fabrication isn’t just about building the parts,” Dr. Shin explained in the research paper.
“It’s the key to performance. The way we grow and guide muscle cells determines whether these robots can move, adapt, and last,” she said.
Overcoming fragility
At present, most biohybrid robots have weak health. They are tiny, delicate, and can only survive under managed conditions. Hence, scaling their production is a massive challenge, since these robots cannot cope with the unpredictability of the real world.
The researchers are using three strategies to tackle this problem: multi-material printing to add strength and complexity; perfusable scaffolds that keep cells alive by feeding them nutrients; and modular designs that make robots tougher and more adaptable.
All these strategies could help biohybrid machines live longer and work harder.
Similar attempts
The Harvard Medical School’s attempt at building biohybrid robots isn’t the only one.
Earlier in March, MIT researchers experimented with artificial muscles, showcasing how they can move in multiple directions, mimicking the iris of an eye.
Another research involved researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, who are working on creating AggreBots – biological robots that work on human lung cells.
A living future for machines
Biohybrid systems could revolutionize multiple industries if muscle-powered robots come into existence. Unlike plastic or metal structures, these robots would be able to adapt, heal, and interact with their bodies.
Shin and her colleagues believe biohybrid robotics is currently undergoing a transition.
“The next generation of biohybrid robots will not only achieve precise actuation and adaptability. They’ll overcome barriers of scale and integration. They’ll actively support human health,” Shin said.