Biological building blocks – different cell types or tissues in an instructive environment – can beassembled in various ways to promote the emergence of the cells in a system with well-defined functionality,allowing for the realization of dynamic cellular machines with the ability to interface with the environment andother living systems1. We reported the design and fabrication of a skeletal muscle powered biological robot (‘biobot’)that could be reliably controlled and paced via applied external signaling2 while permitting control overphysical, mechanical, biological, and biochemical cues3. Skeletal muscle can interface with multiple othermammalian cell types, such as neurons and endothelial cells, making it an ideal actuator for producing force andlocomotion in living systems, as well as a platform for drug screening probing heterotypic cell interactions.
Additional info to come.