Enhancing and Decoding the Performance of Muscle Actuators with Flexures

Muscle Actuators with Flexures Biohybrid robots require robust, reproducible, and predictable muscle actuators. Ritu Raman and co-workers have designed compliant mechanisms, termed "flexures", that enhance the performance and decode the contractile dynamics of biological actuators with unprecedented accuracy and precision (see article number 2300834). The authors' platform enables user-defined control of muscle contractile dynamics and fatigue behavior, enabling real-world applications of muscle as an actuator for adaptive machines. [Cover art by Ella Marushchenko.]