A biohybrid hand which can move objects and make a scissor gesture has been created. The researchers used thin strings of lab-grown muscle tissue bundled into sushilike rolls to give the fingers enough strength to contract. It is named multiple muscle tissue actuators (MuMuTAs).
Tokyo
[Japan], February 15 (ANI): A biohybrid hand which can move objects and make a
scissor gesture has been created. The researchers used thin strings of
lab-grown muscle tissue bundled into sushilike rolls to give the fingers enough
strength to contract. It is named multiple muscle tissue actuators (MuMuTAs).
For the
researchers' MuMuTAs are a major development towards building larger biohybrid
limbs. While currently limited to the lab environment, MuMuTAs have the
potential to advance future biohybrid prosthetics, aid drug testing on muscle
tissue, and broaden the potential of biohybrid robotics to mimic real-life
forms.
The hand is made
of a 3D-printed plastic base, with tendons of human muscle tissue moving the
fingers. Until now, biohybrid devices have typically been on a much smaller
scale (about one centimetre long) or limited to simpler or single-joint
movements.
However, this
biohybrid hand is 18 cm in length and has multiple fingers, which can be moved
individually to make gestures or in combination to manipulate objects.
"Our key
achievement was developing the MuMuTAs. These are thin strands of muscle tissue
grown in a culture medium and then rolled up into a bundle like a sushi roll to
make each tendon," explained Professor Shoji Takeuchi from the University
of Tokyo.
He added,
"Creating the MuMuTAs enabled us to overcome our biggest challenge, which
was to ensure enough contractile force and length in the muscles to drive the
hand's large structure."
Thick muscle
tissue, which is needed to move larger limbs, is difficult to grow in the lab,
as it suffers from necrosis. This is when insufficient nutrients reach the
centre of the muscle, resulting in tissue loss. However, by using multiple thin
muscle tissues bundled together to act as one larger muscle, the team was able
to create tendons with enough strength.
The MuMuTAs
are stimulated using electrical currents delivered through waterproof cables.
To test the hand's abilities, the team manipulated the fingers to form a
scissor gesture by contracting the little finger, ring finger, and thumb.
They also used their fingers to grasp and move the tip of a pipette. This demonstrated the hand's ability to mimic a range of actions, as the multijointed fingers can be flexed either separately or at the same time, an impressive feat.
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