Session: Rising Stars of Mechanical Engineering Celebration & Showcase

Paper Number: 147912

147912 - Self-Sensing Artificial Muscle Tissues for Locomotion in Soft Machines 

This ONR YIP project aims to develop soft artificial muscle tissues capable of high-power density, energy efficient actuation for untethered locomotion in soft machines. The 3D printable, artificial muscle tissues proposed here involve the design and fabrication of electrically driven muscle fiber units. Bundles of individually addressable artificial muscle fibers are readily organized into large-scale artificial muscle tissues with distributed actuation and proprioceptive capabilities. This research introduces new materials and manufacturing methods to 3D print artificial muscle tissues and novel soft robot embodiments. The materials, 3D printing methods, and actuators developed by this program will pioneer novel capabilities in applications of broad naval interest, spanning, robotics, wearable technologies, bioinspired materials, and more.

Presenting Author: Ryan Truby Northwestern University

Presenting Author Biography: Ryan Truby is the June and Donald Brewer Junior Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. His research broadly aims to advance machine intelligence by material design. He and his team in the Robotic Matter Lab are currently developing novel soft actuators and sensors, rapid multimaterial 3D printing methods, and machine learning-based control strategies for soft sensorized robots. Ryan’s research also includes work in 3D printing vascularized tissue constructs, soft electronics, artificial muscles, and architected materials. Prior to Northwestern, Ryan was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, and he received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University. Ryan is the recipient of a DARPA Young Faculty Award, Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, the Outstanding Paper Award at the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics, an Inaugural 2018 Schmidt Science Fellowship, and the Gold Award for Graduate Students from the Materials Research Society.

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