A swimming robot actuated by living muscle tissue

被引：66
作者：
Herr H. [1 ]
Dennis R.G. [2 ]
机构：
[1] Media Laboratory, Harvard-MIT Div. Hlth. Sci. Technol., MA Institute of Technology, Cambridge
[2] Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
来源：
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation | / 1卷 / 1期
关键词：
Biomechatronics; bionics; cybernetics; hybrid robotics; muscle actuators; skeletal muscle; muscle organ culture; functional electrical stimulation;
D O I：
10.1186/1743-0003-1-6
中图分类号：
学科分类号：
摘要：
Biomechatronics is the integration of biological components with artificial devices, in which the biological component confers a significant functional capability to the system, and the artificial component provides specific cellular and tissue interfaces that promote the maintenance and functional adaptation of the biological component. Based upon functional performance, muscle is potentially an excellent mechanical actuator, but the larger challenge of developing muscle-actuated, biomechatronic devices poses many scientific and engineering challenges. As a demonstratory proof of concept, we designed, built, and characterized a swimming robot actuated by two explanted frog semitendinosus muscles and controlled by an embedded microcontroller. Using open loop stimulation protocols, the robot performed basic swimming maneuvers such as starting, stopping, turning (turning radius ∼400 mm) and straight-line swimming (max speed >1/3 body lengths/second). A broad spectrum antibiotic/antimycotic ringer solution surrounded the muscle actuators for long term maintenance, ex vivo. The robot swam for a total of 4 hours over a 42 hour lifespan (10% duty cycle) before its velocity degraded below 75% of its maximum. The development of functional biomechatronic prototypes with integrated musculoskeletal tissues is the first critical step toward the long term objective of controllable, adaptive and robust biomechatronic robots and prostheses. © 2004 Herr and Dennis; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
引用
收藏
相关论文
共 26 条
  • [1] Hollerbach J.M., Hunter I.W., Ballantyne J., A Comparative Analysis of Actuator Technologies for Robotics, The Robotics Review, pp. 301-342, (1991)
  • [2] Meijer K., Bar-Cohen Y., Full R., Biological Inspiration for Muscle-like Actuators of Robots, Biologically Inspired Intelligent Robots, pp. 25-41, (2003)
  • [3] Caldwell D.G., Natural and Artificial Muscle Elements As Robot Actuators, Mechatronics, 3, pp. 269-283, (1993)
  • [4] Hannaford B., Jaax K., Klute G., Bio-inspired actuation and sensing, Autonomous Robots, 11, pp. 267-272, (2001)
  • [5] Klute G.K., Czerniecki J.M., Hannaford B., Artificial muscles: Actuators for biorobotic systems, International Journal of Robotics Research, 21, pp. 295-309, (2002)
  • [6] Marden J.H., Allen L.R., Molecules, muscles, and machines: Universal performance characteristics of motors, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 99, pp. 4161-4166, (2002)
  • [7] Woledge R., Curtin N., Homsher E., Energetic Aspects of Muscle Contraction, (1985)
  • [8] Koumans J.T., Akster H.A., Myogenic Cells in Development and Growth of Fish, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Physiology, 110, pp. 3-20, (1995)
  • [9] Delp M.D., Pette D., Morphological-Changes during Fiber-Type Transitions in Low-Frequency-Stimulated Rat Fast-Twitch Muscle, Cell Tissue Res, 277, pp. 363-371, (1994)
  • [10] Green H.J., Klug G.A., Reichmann H., Seedorf U., Wiehrer W., Pette D., Exercise-Induced Fiber Type Transitions with Regard to Myosin, Parvalbumin, and Sarcoplasmic-Reticulum in Muscles of the Rat, Pflugers Archiv-European Journal of Physiology, 400, pp. 432-438, (1984)
123