MIT researchers developed artificial tendons made from hydrogel to connect lab-grown muscle tissue with robotic skeletons, creating more efficient biohybrid robots. The tendon-based design enables muscle-powered grippers to operate three times faster and generate 30 times more force compared to direct muscle-to-skeleton connections, while increasing power-to-weight ratio by 11 times. The artificial tendons bridge the mechanical mismatch between soft muscle tissue and rigid skeletal structures, similar to natural tendons in biological systems. This modular approach could enable a wide range of applications from microscale surgical tools to autonomous exploratory machines that can self-heal and strengthen over time.
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