Development of Skeletal Muscle Bioactuators for Biorobotic Systems

This project aims to develop a bioreactor platform for engineering functional skeletal muscle capable of actuating mechanical structures, with potential applications in biohybrid and humanoid robotics. The work will build on an existing flexible skeletal muscle bioreactor that provides mechanical stimulation to promote tissue alignment and maturation. By integrating controlled electrical stimulation, the platform will more closely reproduce physiological neuromuscular activation, enable controlled muscle contraction and provide a route towards using engineered skeletal muscle as a living bioactuator.

The project will focus on designing and integrating a miniaturised, biocompatible electrode system within the existing flexible bioreactor chamber. A key engineering challenge is to ensure that the electrodes and associated connections remain electrically stable during repeated and potentially large mechanical deformations, without compromising chamber flexibility, mechanical performance or tissue viability. The system must enable reproducible electrical activation of muscle constructs while remaining compatible with long-term culture and mechanical conditioning.

Key milestones will include the selection and design of an appropriate electrical stimulation strategy, fabrication of integrated prototypes, mechanical and electrical validation under cyclic deformation, optimisation of the platform, and preliminary biological validation with skeletal muscle constructs.

The resulting platform could improve the maturation and functionality of engineered skeletal muscle while providing an enabling technology for bioactuation. Beyond applications in tissue engineering, disease modelling and drug testing, functional muscle constructs could ultimately be interfaced with mechanical components to generate controlled movement in biohybrid robotic systems.

The project is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together mechanical engineering, bioengineering, materials science, flexible electronics and cell biology. It will provide experience in bioreactor and flexible device design, prototyping, mechanical and electrical characterisation, and skeletal muscle tissue engineering, while exploring an emerging interface between living engineered tissues and robotic systems.