The robot has two legs with living muscles

Prepare to forget everything you know about him Robotics normal. Japanese scientists from the renowned University of Tokyo have just released something new: a bipedal “bio-hybrid robot” that blends living muscle with an artificial skeleton.

Bio robot

To create this remarkable feat, the researchers took an innovative approach. They cultured skeletal muscles in molds, producing strips of muscle tissue.

They then built a lightweight skeleton using sheet styrene, a flexible silicone body, acrylic resin legs with copper wire weights, and fabric-printed feet. 3D.

What makes this robot so special is the way strips of muscle tissue are attached along the body to the robot's feet, mimicking the muscle-bone connection in animals.

Bio-robot structure – Image: Article/Reproduction

Through electrical stimulation, the robot can perform slow forward movements and rotate in a small circle.

Professor Shuji Takeuchi, author of the study at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, expressed his astonishment at the success of the project.

“At first, we weren't sure we could walk on two legs, so it was really surprising when we did,” the scientist says.

However, for now, don't expect accurate performance from this robot. The current model moves in a very primitive way, reaching a slow speed of just 5.4 mm per minute.

Additionally, it only works underwater, as lab-grown muscle dries quickly outdoors.

Despite current limitations, this research project represents a major advance in creating hybrid biorobots, demonstrating that roboticists are overcoming key challenges.

The ability to move in straight lines and smooth curves represents just the first steps toward a new era of robotics.

Professor Takeuchi highlighted the importance of integrating living tissue into the body RobotsAllowing you to explore the superior functions of living organisms.

He stressed that the team is working on more advanced designs, aiming to create robots with more advanced walking capabilities that mimic the complexities of human walking.