Frog Muscle Put to Use in Swimming Robotic Manta Ray
Frog muscle put to use in swimming robotic manta ray
Researchers at the Shenyang Institute of Automation have developed a wireless, light-controlled robotic manta ray powered by native frog muscle tissue. The biological actuator, derived from the gracilis muscle of a bullfrog, produces contractile forces up to 9.4 N and enables untethered control through near-infrared laser stimulation. The robot achieves speeds of up to 2.7 cm/s and demonstrates maneuverability in water, with potential applications in environmental monitoring. Challenges include limited tissue lifespan and reliance on external energy sources.
This research demonstrates the use of native frog muscle tissue as an actuator in a robotic manta ray, achieving controlled movement through wireless optoelectronic stimulation. The study highlights the potential of biological actuators in biohybrid robotics, though challenges remain in extending the lifespan of the tissue and reducing dependency on external energy sources.
Source: New Atlas — Robotics · Read original article ↗
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What the source reports
Publisher-reported claims, with original evidence. These results have not been independently verified by RoboSignal.
Reported numbers
contractile force
6.5
View original evidence
y actual biological muscle. Taken from the gracilis muscle in the leg of a bullfrog, the tissue produced a stable contractile force of 6.5 newtons (N), peaked at 9.4 N under more extreme stimulation, remained electrically responsive for as long as 11 days, and could reliably drive the robot over a seven-day period. The research falls under biosyncretic robotics , an emerging field of biohybrid robotics that incorpora
Open source S3contractile force
9.4
View original evidence
y actual biological muscle. Taken from the gracilis muscle in the leg of a bullfrog, the tissue produced a stable contractile force of 6.5 newtons (N), peaked at 9.4 N under more extreme stimulation, remained electrically responsive for as long as 11 days, and could reliably drive the robot over a seven-day period. The research falls under biosyncretic robotics , an emerging field of biohybrid robotics that incorpora
Open source S3contractile force
≈6.5
View original evidence
nt electrical signals to activate it. At an optimized stimulation of 1 Hz, 5 V, and 10 milliseconds per pulse, the muscle produced about 6.5 N of contractile force and shortened by around 25%. Under more extreme conditions, peak force reached 9.4 N. “For the first time, we have coupled native isolated skeletal muscle with a wireless optoelectronic neural-stimulation system,” says SIA researcher Dr. Chuang Zhang. “Our
Open source S8contractile force
9.4
View original evidence
nt electrical signals to activate it. At an optimized stimulation of 1 Hz, 5 V, and 10 milliseconds per pulse, the muscle produced about 6.5 N of contractile force and shortened by around 25%. Under more extreme conditions, peak force reached 9.4 N. “For the first time, we have coupled native isolated skeletal muscle with a wireless optoelectronic neural-stimulation system,” says SIA researcher Dr. Chuang Zhang. “Our
Open source S8straight-line speed
0.54
View original evidence
ed an average straight-line speed of 0.54 body lengths per second, equivalent to roughly 2.7 cm (1.1 in) per second, and briefly reached two body lengths per second. The researchers say the latter is the fastest relative forward speed yet reported for a skeletal-muscle-driven biosyncretic robot. It could turn within just one-eighth of its own body length, reached a maximum angular turning speed of 21 degrees per seco
Open source S15maximum angular turning speed
21
View original evidence
ed an average straight-line speed of 0.54 body lengths per second, equivalent to roughly 2.7 cm (1.1 in) per second, and briefly reached two body lengths per second. The researchers say the latter is the fastest relative forward speed yet reported for a skeletal-muscle-driven biosyncretic robot. It could turn within just one-eighth of its own body length, reached a maximum angular turning speed of 21 degrees per seco
Open source S15
- paper: not_reported
- code: not_reported
- weights: not_reported
- dataset: not_reported
Source excerpts and review record
Automatically extracted; no manual editorial approval recorded.
y actual biological muscle. Taken from the gracilis muscle in the leg of a bullfrog, the tissue produced a stable contractile force of 6.5 newtons (N), peaked at 9.4 N under more extreme stimulation, remained electrically responsive for as long as 11 days, and could reliably drive the robot over a seven-day period. The research falls under biosyncretic robotics , an emerging field of biohybrid robotics that incorpora
Open source S3
nt electrical signals to activate it. At an optimized stimulation of 1 Hz, 5 V, and 10 milliseconds per pulse, the muscle produced about 6.5 N of contractile force and shortened by around 25%. Under more extreme conditions, peak force reached 9.4 N. “For the first time, we have coupled native isolated skeletal muscle with a wireless optoelectronic neural-stimulation system,” says SIA researcher Dr. Chuang Zhang. “Our
Open source S8
ed an average straight-line speed of 0.54 body lengths per second, equivalent to roughly 2.7 cm (1.1 in) per second, and briefly reached two body lengths per second. The researchers say the latter is the fastest relative forward speed yet reported for a skeletal-muscle-driven biosyncretic robot. It could turn within just one-eighth of its own body length, reached a maximum angular turning speed of 21 degrees per seco
Open source S15
Source：New Atlas — Robotics · newatlas.com