title: Optogenetic skeletal muscle-powered adaptive biological machines.
abstract: Complex biological systems sense, process, and respond to their surroundings in real time. The ability of such systems to adapt their behavioral response to suit a range of dynamic environmental signals motivates the use of biological materials for other engineering applications. As a step toward forward engineering biological machines (bio-bots) capable of nonnatural functional behaviors, we created a modular light-controlled skeletal muscle-powered bioactuator that can generate up to 300 µN (0.56 kPa) of active tension force in response to a noninvasive optical stimulus. When coupled to a 3D printed flexible bio-bot skeleton, these actuators drive directional locomotion (310 µm/s or 1.3 body lengths/min) and 2D rotational steering (2°/s) in a precisely targeted and controllable manner. The muscle actuators dynamically adapt to their surroundings by adjusting performance in response to "exercise" training stimuli. This demonstration sets the stage for developing multicellular bio-integrated machines and systems for a range of applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801; Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801;
authors.forename: Ritu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raman
authors.affiliation: Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801; Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801;
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cvetkovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
authors.forename: Sebastien G M
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Uzel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
authors.forename: Randall J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801.
authors.forename: Parijat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sengupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kamm
authors.affiliation: Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801; Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801; rbashir@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Rashid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bashir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004867:Equipment Design; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D008124:Locomotion; D051379:Mice; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D062308:Optogenetics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
keywords: bioactuator; soft robotics; stereolithography; tissue engineering