ETH Zurich builds bioactuators from living muscle and hydrogel

Researchers at ETH Zurich grew mouse skeletal muscle on a soft hydrogel scaffold, designing both as a single system. The roughly 1.5 cm bioactuators flex up to 11 times more than earlier systems, jump 5 mm and walk at 6.2 mm/s.

• Actuators about 1.5 cm long combine mouse muscle tissue with 3D-printed hydrogel
• Range of motion up to 11 times greater than systems with similar muscle volume
• A jump lifts the actuator 5 mm, a third of its body length
• Walking version moves at 6.2 mm/s, faster than any reported biohybrid robot