ETH biohybrid robot actuators with integrated living muscle and hydrogel scaffol
Overview
ETH Zurich researchers have created biohybrid robots with living muscle tissue and soft artificial scaffolds, enabling visible and powerful movements such as jumping, swimming, walking, and grasping. The integration of muscle and scaffold design allows for a range of motion up to eleven times greater than earlier systems, though long-term deployment remains a challenge.
From ETH Zurich — Robotics research news
Event evidence and corrections
3 attributed source owners. Ownership does not establish independent confirmation. Quantities are reported separately and are never added together.
Reported quantity · range of motion: 11 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“acturing conditions, which was fed back into the computer simulation. The result was the creation of what the researchers call bioactuators, each about 1.5 centimetres long. These actuators consist of living muscle tissue and an artificial hydrogel scaffold. They can flex so strongly that the movement is visible to the naked eye. The researchers report a range of motion up to eleven times greater than that of earlier”
Exact source · revision 2robotics-automation-news
Reported quantity · length of actuators: 1.5 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“acturing conditions, which was fed back into the computer simulation. The result was the creation of what the researchers call bioactuators, each about 1.5 centimetres long. These actuators consist of living muscle tissue and an artificial hydrogel scaffold. They can flex so strongly that the movement is visible to the naked eye. The researchers report a range of motion up to eleven times greater than that of earlier”
Exact source · revision 2robotics-automation-news
Reported quantity · distance covered per second: 6.2 other · Basis not reported
“hape. For her, this experiment shows how important the interaction between the living muscle and the soft artificial scaffold is. With a single contraction, the actuator lifts itself about five millimetres off the bottom of the dish, a third of its body length. A walking version covers 6.2 millimetres per second, faster relative to its body length than any walking biohybrid robot reported so far. These small robots c”
Exact source · revision 2robotics-automation-news
Reported quantity · height lifted off the bottom: 5 other · Basis not reported
“hape. For her, this experiment shows how important the interaction between the living muscle and the soft artificial scaffold is. With a single contraction, the actuator lifts itself about five millimetres off the bottom of the dish, a third of its body length. A walking version covers 6.2 millimetres per second, faster relative to its body length than any walking biohybrid robot reported so far. These small robots c”
Exact source · revision 2robotics-automation-news
Reported quantity · scaffold printing time: 1 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“produced the greatest possible movement of the entire component. The researchers then built the computer-designed muscle actuators in the laboratory and tested them. The scaffolds were 3D-printed with light using a technique called xolography, which takes about one minute per scaffold. “Of course, it was an iterative process,” Balciunaite recalls. The experiments provided information on material properties and manuf”
Exact source · revision 2robotics-automation-news
Reported quantity · range of motion: 11 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“rate processes, ETH Zurich researchers have, for the first time, jointly designed centimetre-scale living muscle tissue and its soft artificial scaffold on a computer. The resulting muscle actuators achieve a range of motion up to eleven times greater than that of earlier systems with a comparable amount of muscle tissue. Using these muscle actuators, the researchers built small biohybrid robots capable of a range of”
Exact source · revision 2eth-zurich
Reported quantity · range of motion: 11 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“was the creation of what the researchers call bioactuators, each about 1.5 centimetres long. These actuators consist of living muscle tissue and an artificial hydrogel scaffold. They can flex so strongly that the movement is visible to the naked eye. The researchers report a range of motion up to eleven times greater than that of earlier systems with a comparable amount of muscle tissue. “With previous systems, you”
Exact source · revision 2eth-zurich
Reported quantity · jump height: 5 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“iving muscle and the soft artificial scaffold is. With a single contraction, the actuator lifts itself about five millimetres off the bottom of the dish, a third of its body length. A walking version covers 6.2 millimetres per second, faster relative to its body length than any walking biohybrid robot reported so far. These small robots can move so powerfully not just because of their muscle tissue. It is crucial tha”
Exact source · revision 2eth-zurich
Reported quantity · walking speed: 6.2 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“iving muscle and the soft artificial scaffold is. With a single contraction, the actuator lifts itself about five millimetres off the bottom of the dish, a third of its body length. A walking version covers 6.2 millimetres per second, faster relative to its body length than any walking biohybrid robot reported so far. These small robots can move so powerfully not just because of their muscle tissue. It is crucial tha”
Exact source · revision 2eth-zurich
Reported quantity · scaffold printing time: 1 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“s then built the computer-designed muscle actuators in the laboratory and tested them. The scaffolds were 3D-printed with light using a technique called xolography, which takes about one minute per scaffold. “Of course, it was an iterative process,” Balciunaite recalls. The experiments provided information on material properties and manufacturing conditions, which was fed back into the computer simulation. The result”
Exact source · revision 2eth-zurich
Reported quantity · actuator length: 1.5 other · Basis not reported
“was the creation of what the researchers call bioactuators, each about 1.5 centimetres long. These actuators consist of living muscle tissue and an artificial hydrogel scaffold. They can flex so strongly that the movement is visible to the naked eye. The researchers report a range of motion up to eleven times greater than that of earlier systems with a comparable amount of muscle tissue. “With previous systems, you”
Exact source · revision 2eth-zurich
Reported quantity · length of actuators: 1.5 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“vided information on material properties and manufacturing conditions, which was fed back into the computer simulation. The result was the creation of what the researchers call bioactuators, each about 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inches) long. These actuators consist of living muscle tissue and an artificial hydrogel scaffold. They can flex so strongly that the movement is visible to the naked eye. The researchers report a”
Exact source · revision 2science-x
Reported quantity · jump height: 5 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“al movement that requires a particularly strong change in shape. For her, this experiment shows how important the interaction between the living muscle and the soft artificial scaffold is. With a single contraction, the actuator lifts itself about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) off the bottom of the dish, a third of its body length. A walking version covers 6.2 millimeters per second (0.24 inches per second), faster rela”
Exact source · revision 2science-x
Reported quantity · walking speed: 6.2 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“al movement that requires a particularly strong change in shape. For her, this experiment shows how important the interaction between the living muscle and the soft artificial scaffold is. With a single contraction, the actuator lifts itself about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) off the bottom of the dish, a third of its body length. A walking version covers 6.2 millimeters per second (0.24 inches per second), faster rela”
Exact source · revision 2science-x
Reported quantity · scaffold printing time: 1 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“igurations in which the contraction of the muscle produced the greatest possible movement of the entire component. The researchers then built the computer-designed muscle actuators in the laboratory and tested them. The scaffolds were 3D-printed with light using a technique called xolography , which takes about one minute per scaffold. "Of course, it was an iterative process," Balciunaite recalls. The experiments pro”
Exact source · revision 2science-x
Evidence dependency changes (6)
- 2026-10-30T21:31:06.660Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
- 2026-10-30T21:30:45.324Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
- 2026-10-30T20:40:17.798Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
- 2026-10-30T20:40:00.486Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
- 2026-10-30T20:32:51.032Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
- 2026-10-30T20:32:30.512Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
Report timeline
Follow attributed reports and material updates.
- Robotics & Automation NewsSignalETH Scientists Develop Biohybrid Actuators with Lab-Grown Muscles for Visible Movement
Scientists at ETH Zurich have created robot actuators using living skeletal muscle tissue grown from mouse cells, integrated with 3D-printed hydrogel scaffolds. The biohybrid actuators, designed through computer simulations, can flex visibly and perform actions like jumping and swimming. While the system shows promise, challenges remain in long-term operation due to nutrient requirements and tissue variability.
- Tech Xplore — RoboticsSignalLab-grown mouse muscles enable tiny robots to jump, swim, walk and grasp
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed biohybrid robots using lab-grown mouse muscle tissue and a soft hydrogel scaffold. By designing the muscle and scaffold together through simulation and iterative testing, they achieved actuators capable of visible movement, including jumping, swimming, walking, and grasping. The system shows improved range of motion and performance compared to earlier biohybrid robots, though challenges remain in long-term operation and scalability.
- ETH Zurich — Robotics research newsSignalOne Small Leap for a Muscle, One Giant Step for Robotics
ETH Zurich researchers have created biohybrid robots with living muscle tissue and soft artificial scaffolds, enabling visible and powerful movements such as jumping, swimming, walking, and grasping. The integration of muscle and scaffold design allows for a range of motion up to eleven times greater than earlier systems, though long-term deployment remains a challenge.
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