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Zhang C, Yang L, Wang W, Fan H, Tan W, Wang R, Wang F, Xi N, Liu L. Steering Muscle-Based Bio-Syncretic Robot Through Bionic Optimized Biped Mechanical Design. Soft Robot 2024; 11:484-493. [PMID: 38407843 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2023.0121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Bio-syncretic robots consisting of artificial structures and living muscle cells have attracted much attention owing to their potential advantages, such as high drive efficiency, miniaturization, and compatibility. Motion controllability, as an important factor related to the main performance of bio-syncretic robots, has been explored in numerous studies. However, most of the existing bio-syncretic robots still face challenges related to the further development of steerable kinematic dexterity. In this study, a bionic optimized biped fully soft bio-syncretic robot actuated by two muscle tissues and steered with a direction-controllable electric field generated by external circularly distributed multiple electrodes has been developed. The developed bio-syncretic robot could realize wirelessly steerable motion and effective transportation of microparticle cargo on artificial polystyrene and biological pork tripe surfaces. This study may provide an effective strategy for the development of bio-syncretic robots and other related studies, such as nonliving soft robot design and muscle tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Lianchao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenxue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Huijie Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Wenjun Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ruiqian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Feifei Wang
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ning Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Emerging Technologies Institute, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lianqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
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Wang Z, Masuda T, Arai F. Fixation method of a single muscle fiber by magnetic force for stretching, transportation, and evaluation of mechanical properties. Biofabrication 2024; 16:025031. [PMID: 38447227 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad30c9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Engineered muscle fibers are attracting interest in bio-actuator research as they can contribute to the fabrication of actuators with a high power/size ratio for micro-robots. These fibers require to be stretched during culture for functional regulation as actuators and require a fixation on a rigid substrate for stretching in culture and evaluation of mechanical properties, such as Young's modulus and contraction force. However, the conventional fixation methods for muscle fibers have many restrictions as they are not repeatable and the connection between fixation part and the muscle fibers detaches during culture; therefore, the fixation becomes weak during culture, and direct measurement of the muscle fibers' mechanical properties by a force sensor is difficult. Therefore, we propose a facile and repeatable fixation method for muscle fibers by mixing magnetite nanoparticles at both ends of the muscle fibers to fabricate magnetic ends. The fiber can be easily attached and detached repeatedly by manipulating a magnet that applies a magnetic force larger than 3 mN to the magnetic ends. Thus, the muscle fiber can be stretched fiber during culture for functional regulation, transported between the culture dish and measurement system, and directly connected to the force sensor for measurement with magnetic ends. The muscle fiber connected with magnetic ends have a long lifetime (∼4 weeks) and the cells inside had the morphology of a skeletal muscle. Moreover, the muscle fiber showed a contraction (specific force of 1.02 mN mm-2) synchronized with electrical stimulation, confirming the muscle fiber fabricated and cultured using our method had similar morphology and function as bio-actuators in previous research. This research demonstrates the advantages of the fixation method using muscle fibers with magnetic ends; the fibers are stretched during culture, and the transportation and force measurement of weak and tiny muscle fibers could be finished in 1 min.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoyu Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taisuke Masuda
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fumihito Arai
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Tokyo, Japan
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Maemura D, Le TS, Takahashi M, Matsumura K, Maenosono S. Optogenetic Calcium Ion Influx in Myoblasts and Myotubes by Near-Infrared Light Using Upconversion Nanoparticles. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:42196-42208. [PMID: 37652433 PMCID: PMC10510107 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c07028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Bioactuators made of cultured skeletal muscle cells are generally driven by electrical or visible light stimuli. Among these, the technology to control skeletal muscle consisting of myoblasts genetically engineered to express photoreceptor proteins with visible light is very promising, as there is no risk of cell contamination by electrodes, and the skeletal muscle bioactuator can be operated remotely. However, due to the low biopermeability of visible light, it can only be applied to thin skeletal muscle films, making it difficult to realize high-power bioactuators consisting of thick skeletal muscle. To solve this problem, it is desirable to realize thick skeletal muscle bioactuators that can be driven by near-infrared (NIR) light, to which living tissue is highly permeable. In this study, as a promising first step, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) capable of converting NIR light into blue light were bound to C2C12 myoblasts expressing the photoreceptor protein channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), and the myoblasts calcium ion (Ca2+) influx was remotely manipulated by NIR light exposure. UCNP-bound myoblasts and UCNP-bound differentiated myotubes were exposed to NIR light, and the intracellular Ca2+ concentrations were measured and compared to myoblasts exposed to blue light. Exposure of the UCNP-bound cells to NIR light was found to be more efficient than exposure to blue light in terms of stimulating Ca2+ influx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Maemura
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
| | - The Son Le
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
| | - Mari Takahashi
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Matsumura
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
| | - Shinya Maenosono
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
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Filippi M, Yasa O, Giachino J, Graf R, Balciunaite A, Stefani L, Katzschmann RK. Perfusable Biohybrid Designs for Bioprinted Skeletal Muscle Tissue. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2300151. [PMID: 36911914 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202300151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Engineered, centimeter-scale skeletal muscle tissue (SMT) can mimic muscle pathophysiology to study development, disease, regeneration, drug response, and motion. Macroscale SMT requires perfusable channels to guarantee cell survival, and support elements to enable mechanical cell stimulation and uniaxial myofiber formation. Here, stable biohybrid designs of centimeter-scale SMT are realized via extrusion-based bioprinting of an optimized polymeric blend based on gelatin methacryloyl and sodium alginate, which can be accurately coprinted with other inks. A perfusable microchannel network is designed to functionally integrate with perfusable anchors for insertion into a maturation culture template. The results demonstrate that i) coprinted synthetic structures display highly coherent interfaces with the living tissue, ii) perfusable designs preserve cells from hypoxia all over the scaffold volume, iii) constructs can undergo passive mechanical tension during matrix remodeling, and iv) the constructs can be used to study the distribution of drugs. Extrusion-based multimaterial bioprinting with the inks and design realizes in vitro matured biohybrid SMT for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Filippi
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Oncay Yasa
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Jan Giachino
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Reto Graf
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Aiste Balciunaite
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Stefani
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Robert K Katzschmann
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
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Nomura T, Takeuchi M, Kim E, Huang Q, Hasegawa Y, Fukuda T. Development of High-Cell-Density Tissue Method for Compressed Modular Bioactuator. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:1725. [PMID: 36296079 PMCID: PMC9607352 DOI: 10.3390/mi13101725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Bioactuators have been developed in many studies in the recent decade for actuators of micro-biorobots. However, bioactuators have not shown the same power as animal muscles. Centrifugal force was used in this study to increase the cell density of cultured muscle cells that make up the bioactuator. The effect of the centrifugal force on cells in the matrix gel before curing was investigated, and the optimal centrifugal force was identified to be around 450× g. The compressed modular bioactuator (C-MBA) fabricated in this study exhibited 1.71 times higher cell density than the conventional method. In addition, the contractile force per unit cross-sectional area was 1.88 times higher. The proposed method will contribute to new bioactuators with the same power as living muscles in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuto Nomura
- Department of Micro-Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648603, Japan
| | - Masaru Takeuchi
- Department of Micro-Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648603, Japan
| | - Eunhye Kim
- Department of Micro-Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648603, Japan
| | - Qiang Huang
- Intelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yasuhisa Hasegawa
- Department of Micro-Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648603, Japan
| | - Toshio Fukuda
- Department of Micro-Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648603, Japan
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Zhang C, Zhang Y, Wang W, Xi N, Liu L. A Manta Ray-Inspired Biosyncretic Robot with Stable Controllability by Dynamic Electric Stimulation. CYBORG AND BIONIC SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.34133/2022/9891380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biosyncretic robots, which are new nature-based robots in addition to bionic robots, that utilize biological materials to realize their core function, have been supposed to further promote the progress in robotics. Actuation as the main operation mechanism relates to the robotic overall performance. Therefore, biosyncretic robots actuated by living biological actuators have attracted increasing attention. However, innovative propelling modes and control methods are still necessary for the further development of controllable motion performance of biosyncretic robots. In this work, a muscle tissue-based biosyncretic swimmer with a manta ray-inspired propelling mode has been developed. What is more, to improve the stable controllability of the biosyncretic swimmer, a dynamic control method based on circularly distributed multiple electrodes (CDME) has been proposed. In this method, the direction of the electric field generated by the CDME could be real-time controlled to be parallel with the actuation tissue of the dynamic swimmer. Therefore, the instability of the tissue actuation induced by the dynamic included angle between the tissue axis and electric field direction could be eliminated. Finally, the biosyncretic robot has demonstrated stable, controllable, and effective swimming, by adjusting the electric stimulation pulse direction, amplitude, and frequency. This work may be beneficial for not only the development of biosyncretic robots but also other related studies including bionic design of soft robots and muscle tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
| | - Yiwei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
- School of Automation and Electrical Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159, China
| | - Wenxue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
| | - Ning Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
- Emerging Technologies Institute, Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, China
| | - Lianqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
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Filippi M, Buchner T, Yasa O, Weirich S, Katzschmann RK. Microfluidic Tissue Engineering and Bio-Actuation. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2108427. [PMID: 35194852 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202108427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bio-hybrid technologies aim to replicate the unique capabilities of biological systems that could surpass advanced artificial technologies. Soft bio-hybrid robots consist of synthetic and living materials and have the potential to self-assemble, regenerate, work autonomously, and interact safely with other species and the environment. Cells require a sufficient exchange of nutrients and gases, which is guaranteed by convection and diffusive transport through liquid media. The functional development and long-term survival of biological tissues in vitro can be improved by dynamic flow culture, but only microfluidic flow control can develop tissue with fine structuring and regulation at the microscale. Full control of tissue growth at the microscale will eventually lead to functional macroscale constructs, which are needed as the biological component of soft bio-hybrid technologies. This review summarizes recent progress in microfluidic techniques to engineer biological tissues, focusing on the use of muscle cells for robotic bio-actuation. Moreover, the instances in which bio-actuation technologies greatly benefit from fusion with microfluidics are highlighted, which include: the microfabrication of matrices, biomimicry of cell microenvironments, tissue maturation, perfusion, and vascularization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Filippi
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Buchner
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Oncay Yasa
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Weirich
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Robert K Katzschmann
- Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
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