Neuromuscular actuation of biohybrid motile bots

Aydin, Onur; Zhang, Xiaotian; Nuethong, Sittinon; Pagan-Diaz, Gelson J.; Bashir, Rashid; Gazzola, Mattia; Saif, M. Taher A.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1907051116

Cited by 144 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

149

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The best solutions are then recombined, to generate a new, more performant pool of aggregates, until no significant improvement is observed. We have employed these procedures in combination to Cosserat models, to improve the locomotory performance of soft-robots [64][65][66] , demonstrating the practical viability of this approach.…”

Section: Materials Design and Role Of Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanics of randomly packed filaments—The “bird nest” as meta-material

Weiner

Bhosale

Gazzola

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Systems of randomly packed, macroscopic elements, from jammed spherical grains to tangled long filaments, represent a broad class of disordered meta-materials with a wide range of applications and manifestations in nature. A 'bird nest' presents itself at an interface between hard round grains described by granular physics to long soft filaments, the center of textile material science. All of these randomly packed systems exhibit forms of self assembly, evident through their robust packing statistics, and a common, unusual elastoplastic response to oedometric compression. In reviewing packing statistics, mechanical response characterization and consideration of boundary effects, we present a perspective that attempts to establish a link between the bulk and local behaviour of a pile of sand and a wad of cotton, demonstrating the nest's relationship with each. Finally, potential directions for impactful applications are outlined.

show abstract

Section: Materials Design and Role Of Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanics of randomly packed filaments—The “bird nest” as meta-material

Weiner

Bhosale

Gazzola

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this context, biological machines have become a prominent paradigm to explore this synergy, in the pursuit of both novel applications and fundamental understanding. In such bio-hybrid systems the biological component can provide actuation, sensing and even computing abilities [6], while artificial elements provide the organizational and structural template [7,8]. This is typically implemented through an elastic, engineered scaffold (the 'skeleton') around which cells grow, self-organize and coordinate their activities, resulting in higher-order functionalities as a combination of internal processes and interactions with the environment [2,5,9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the past decade, this design paradigm has led to bio-integrated soft robots (biobots) that can grip, pump, swim or walk in response to external stimuli (light, mechanic/fluidic pressure, electric fields), providing a glimpse into the potential of this technology [6,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Among these prototypes, untethered walking biobots in the millimeter/centimeter size range, have emerged as reliable platforms to explore and test new cell manipulation and fabrication protocols, design motifs and integration strategies in a consistent setting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite these early successes, current designs exhibits several limitations. Here we focus on two of them: firstly, bio-hybrid walkers can only perform unidirectional locomotion and are incapable of turning, rotating or altering their trajectory; secondly, although progresses have been made in the computational forward design and optimization of bio-hybrid robots [6,24], there is still a lack of systematic design approaches. As a consequence, from a pool of Exp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Computationally assisted design and selection of maneuverable biological walking machines

Wang

Park

Zhang

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The intriguing opportunities enabled by the use of living components in biological machines have spurred the development of a variety of muscle-powered bio-hybrid robots in recent years. Among them, several generations of bio-hybrid walkers have been established as reliable platforms to study untethered locomotion. However, despite these advances, such technology is not mature yet, and major challenges remain. This study takes steps to address two of them: the lack of systematic design approaches, common to bio-hybrid robotics in general, and in the case of bio-hybrid walkers specifically, the lack of maneuverability. We then present here a dual-ring biobot, computationally designed and selected to exhibit robust forward motion and rotational steering. This dual-ring biobot consists of two independent muscle actuators and a 4-legged scaffold asymmetric in the fore/aft direction. The integration of multiple muscles within its body architecture, combined with differential electrical stimulation, allows the robot to maneuver. The dual-ring robot design is then fabricated and experimentally tested, confirming computational predictions and turning abilities. Overall, our design approach based on modeling, simulation, and fabrication exemplified in this robot represents a route to efficiently engineer biological machines with adaptive functionalities.

show abstract

“…Moreover, the advent of biological robots and machines (Aydin, et al 2019;Kamm et al, 2018) composed of dynamically interacting cellular components to perform larger system functions calls for functional in vitro neuronal circuits that are capable of information processing, analogous to neural circuits responsible for the brain's ability to process and store information.…”

Section: Scope and High-level Objectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Computational design of a neuronal logic device and genetic reprogramming of human iPSCs to control neuronal identity in vitro

Mapar¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

I am grateful to my supervisors, Ron Weiss and Lee Makowski, for their enthusiastic guidance, unwavering support, and enormous patience and positivity that has eternally shaped my view to life and career. They have taught me creativity in science and perseverance in the face of difficulties, while enjoying the journey. I would also like to thank my committee members. I am lucky to have met Jeff Ruberti, who has offered me his unfailing support and will remain a source of life advice for me. I have enjoyed vibrant scientific discussions with Dana Brooks as well as learning valuable skills while being his teacher assistant. I am extremely thankful to Nika Shakiba, a wonderful postdoc in Weiss Lab who has enabled me to earn this Ph.D. by her scientific support, spending generous hours with me on experiments, as well as her caring friendship. Shiva Razavi, another great postdoc and friend in lab, has been the source of an incredible amount of support, kindness, and encouragement. Allen Tseng has patiently helped me throughout my days of learning a new field, offering his time and sharing his experience with me. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents and dearest sister, Parisa, without whose all-around support and infinite love I could never have imagined success.

show abstract

Neuromuscular actuation of biohybrid motile bots

Cited by 144 publications

References 46 publications

Mechanics of randomly packed filaments—The “bird nest” as meta-material

Mechanics of randomly packed filaments—The “bird nest” as meta-material

Computationally assisted design and selection of maneuverable biological walking machines

Computational design of a neuronal logic device and genetic reprogramming of human iPSCs to control neuronal identity in vitro

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About