US Army Explores Equipping Robots with Living Muscle Tissue
A scientist from the Army Research Lab gave a glimpse into its early work with biohybrid robotics.
Looking to pave the way for the production of nimble robots that can move more like living creatures than bulky androids, Army Research Laboratory scientists are embarking on fresh, high-risk studies in biohybrid robotics that could eventually fuse organic tissue with machines.
“This is wholly new to the lab, and the field itself is still relatively young. The publications associated with the first idea of successfully integrating muscle tissue or cells into some larger architecture to control motion with that same biological device didn t really start until after 2000 and really spooled up in the early 2010s. So it s very young, even as a discipline,” explained Dr. Dean Culver, a research scientist at the laboratory. “And that kind of gave us an opportunity to see how we could help move it forward and what e
6 ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Robotic systems packed with muscle tissue can produce never-seen-before agility and versatility, Army researchers said.
Researchers with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, now known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory are teaming with collaborators at Duke University and the University of North Carolina on high-risk studies in biohybrid robotics.
“Though impressive in their own right, today’s robots are deployed to serve a limited purpose then are retrieved some minutes later,” said Dr. Dean Culver, a research scientist at the laboratory. “ARL wants robots to be versatile teammates capable of going anywhere Soldiers can and more, adapting to the needs of any given situation.”
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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Robotic systems packed with muscle tissue can produce never-seen-before agility and versatility, Army researchers said.
Researchers with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, now known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory are teaming with collaborators at Duke University and the University of North Carolina on high-risk studies in biohybrid robotics. Though impressive in their own right, today s robots are deployed to serve a limited purpose then are retrieved some minutes later, said Dr. Dean Culver, a research scientist at the laboratory. ARL wants robots to be versatile teammates capable of going anywhere Soldiers can and more, adapting to the needs of any given situation.