Background
Yuya Morimoto is a Professor in the Department of Electronic and Physical Systems at Waseda University, Japan. He received his Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology from the University of Tokyo in 2014. He subsequently served as an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo before joining Waseda University in 2023. His research focuses on biohybrid systems that integrate engineered living tissues with microfabricated and robotic devices. In particular, he develops biohybrid robots driven by cultured skeletal muscle tissues, together with microfabrication and tissue-engineering technologies for controlling and utilizing cellular functions. His recent work focuses on integrating multiple muscle tissues to achieve complex and controllable movements in biohybrid robots.
Title
Muscle-Driven Biohybrid Soft Robots Toward Complex Robotic Motion
Abstract
This talk will present our recent research on muscle-driven biohybrid soft robots that integrate engineered skeletal muscle tissues with robotic structures or with other engineered muscle tissues. We have developed several biohybrid systems in which contractile forces generated by cultured muscle tissues are converted into functional motion through the design of tissue geometry, mechanical structures, and stimulation methods. Recent studies have focused on increasing the complexity and controllability of these movements by integrating multiple muscle tissues and selectively actuating them. Examples include biohybrid systems capable of multidirectional, multijoint, and object-manipulation motions. Through these studies, we aim to establish design and fabrication strategies for biohybrid soft robots that exploit the unique capabilities of living muscle tissues.