Abstract
A various kind of micro actuators have already been developed and reported for micro robots. However, a rotary bio-actuator has not been reported yet. In this study, we propose a novel autonomous rotary bio-actuator powered by heart muscle cell contraction for biocompatible microrobots. The bio-actuator is rotated by a restoring force stored in the elastic band while the gel structure contracting. First of all, a macro-model of the actuator was fabricated and the principle was confirmed. Then culture conditions in a three dimensional gel were examined. To enhance the contracting force of the gel structure, a stretching device was developed. These techniques will enable us to realize the rotary bio-actuator in future.
