Biodegradable and Biocompatible Actuators for Soft and Biohybrid Robotics

Animals have long served as an inspiration for robotics. However, many of the mechanical properties, physical capabilities, and the behavioral flexibility seen in animals have yet to be achieved in robotic platforms. Standard materials for robotic fabrication do not exhibit self-healing or have the ability to autonomously generate energy, as is seen in biological systems. Additionally, traditional robotic actuators lack the compliance, energy efficiency, and power-to-weight ratio combinations observed in musculoskeletal systems. Finally, existing robotic materials typically rely on the use of synthetic, and often hazardous materials that can not biodegrade in natural environments. However, with recent developments in tissue engineering, it is now possible to create biohybrid and even completely organic robots using organic components for robotic structures, actuators, sensors, and even controllers. In this talk, I will present recent work from my lab on the creation and characterization of biodegradable structures for use in biohybrid actuators. I will focus on three key research questions: 1) How can biodegradable protein-based materials be used to guide the organization of living actuators, 2) How can we control the mechanical and geometric properties of these biomaterials towards engineering design, and 3) How can we scale up fabrication of living actuators for sustainable robots. To address these questions, we have developed robotic actuators using electrocompacted and aligned collagen as a guiding substrate. Subsequently, to control the mechanical and geometric properties of these materials we undertook a multi-factor study on the impact of fabrication parameters on material property outcomes. Finally, I will present a novel 3D printing approach developed in our lab to embed these materials in 3D printed hydrogels towards the scalable fabrication of biohybrid robots using biodegradable and biocompatible materials. I will conclude by presenting future challenges in biohybrid robotics. Such robotic systems have future applications in medicine, search and rescue, and environmental monitoring of sensitive environments (e.g., coral reefs).