Biohybrid Robots: When Biology Meets Technology
Biohybrid robots are robotic systems that incorporate biological materials with synthetic structures. Unlike traditional robots that depend solely on electronic and mechanical components, biohybrid robots use living tissues to enable movement and sensing. The goal of developing these is not only to imitate natural organisms but also to understand biological processes and apply them in medicine, environmental science and technology.
Traditional robots rely entirely upon motors, sensors and programmed control systems. In contrast, biohybrid robots incorporate biological components such as muscle cells, neurons or even bacteria that can grow, heal themselves and generate energy from natural processes like glucose metabolism instead of depending on batteries. This allows them to operate more smoothly and with greater energy efficiency than conventional robots. Commonly used biological materials in biohybrid robots include cardiomyocytes and skeletal myocytes. These cells can convert chemical energy into mechanical energy with efficiencies as high up as 50%. When provided with nutrients such as glucose and ATP, they continue functioning and can even repair themselves. These tissues contract in response to environmental stimuli and communicate with neighboring cells, resulting in a coordinated movement within the robot.One notable example is the biohybrid stingray, which features a silicone body, a gold skeleton, and muscle cells taken from a rat’s heart. When these cells contract, the fins flap, allowing the robot to swim much like a real stingray. Similarly Harvard researchers invented a biohybrid fish controlled by human heart cells. Its tail moves in rhythmic contractions, keeping it swimming for over a 100 days!
Biohybrid robots have potential across multiple areas:
- Medicine: They could enable soft adaptable prosthetics, deliver drugs precisely to targeted areas and assist with physical rehabilitation.
- Environment: Biohybrid robots might detect pollutants, clean oil spills or restore damaged ecosystems using engineered micro-organisms.
- Agriculture: They may serve as robotic pollinators or tools for monitoring crop health and distributing nutrients efficiently.
These myocyte cells can self-assemble, self-heal and generate their own energy, making them highly adaptable. However maintaining the viability of living tissues, integrating them with synthetic materials and addressing ethical concerns remain as major challenges. Researchers are working on biocompatible materials and improved life-support systems to sustain biological components used in these robots for longer periods.
The rise of biohybrid robotics raises several ethical and societal questions. Should living tissue be engineered solely for robotic use? And what happens when these machines begin to blur the line between life and technology? Could biohybrid robots lead to unforeseen ecological or ethical consequences? Advancing this field requires strong interdisciplinary collaboration between biology, robotics, materials science and engineering, alongside careful regulation and moral responsibility. By combining expertise from multiple areas, researchers can ensure that innovation in biohybrid robotics progresses ethically and sustainably.
The next decade may bring major progress in robotics and engineering. Scientists aim to enhance biocompatibility, develop self-healing robots and integrate neural interfaces for more complex responses. Collaborative work among engineers, biologists and material scientists will play a crucial role in advancing the field ethically and effectively.
Reference links-
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7127912/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42242-021-00135-6?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2022/02/biohybrid-fish-made-human-cardiac-cells-swims-heart-beats
