Project TT: 20mm biohybrid tripod powered by cerebral organoids
A 20mm robot uses lab-grown brain tissue to move autonomously at 5-20mm per hour.
Project TT introduces a 20mm biohybrid soft robotic platform called the Tripodal Thinker, developed by Aleph Jeremiah Rambie. The chassis is a flexible PDMS frame with three legs, each containing micro-grooves functionalized with Laminin-111 and Matrigel to grow aligned C2C12 skeletal muscle myotubes. A central cavity houses a 0.04-inch cerebral organoid derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which releases rhythmic acetylcholine to trigger coordinated muscle contractions. The legs have 45° slanted feet that act as mechanical one-way doors, converting inward muscle pulls into forward locomotion at 5-20 mm per hour in a liquid medium.
Project milestones include achieving clean neural signal-to-noise ratios via calcium imaging, evaluating chemotactic navigation using nutrient gradients, and sustaining movement solely on biochemical energy from the fluid medium. Rambie seeks collaboration on soft body simulation (e.g., SOFA framework, Gazebo), computer vision tracking for micro-optical deformation, and optimizing PDMS ratio (10:1) and foot geometry to match myotube contraction forces. This open-hardware initiative aims to advance biohybrid robotics by integrating living neural tissue with soft actuators.
- Uses a 0.04-inch iPSC-derived cerebral organoid as the neural engine to control locomotion.
- 20mm PDMS tripod with C2C12 myotube actuators and 45° slanted feet for directional forward push.
- Targets autonomous chemotactic navigation at 5-20 mm/hr using only biochemical energy from the medium.
Why It Matters
Pioneers a new class of biohybrid robots that integrate living brain tissue for autonomous, energy-efficient movement.