Breaking the Wall of Biohybrid Robotics
Breaking the Wall of Biohybrid Robotics
Global Call 2025 Finalist Interview: Engineering & Technology
Shoji Takeuchi received his B.E., M.E., and Dr. Eng. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1995, 1997 and 2000, respectively. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo. He has authored more than 255 peer-reviewed publications and has filed more than 140 patents.
He has received numerous honours, including the MEXT Young Scientists' Prize in 2008, the JSPS Prize in 2010, the ACS Analytical Chemistry Young Innovator Award in 2015, the UNESCO Netexplo Award in 2019 and the JSME Micro-Nano Science & Technology Achievement Award in 2022.
His current research interests include cultivated meat, 3D tissue fabrication, bioMEMS, implantable devices, artificial lipid bilayer systems and biohybrid robotics.
Which wall does your research or project break?
My research breaks the wall between machines and living organisms. While machines are built for precision, durability and control, they lack the adaptability, softness and regenerative capacity of biological systems. Living organisms, on the other hand, can grow, heal and respond to dynamic environments—but cannot be designed or manufactured on demand like machines. These two domains have remained fundamentally separate in both structure and function.
We aim to bridge this gap by creating biohybrid robots—systems that integrate living muscle, skin and neural cells into robotic platforms. These robots go beyond mimicking biology: they incorporate living tissues as active, functional components. For example, we have developed the world’s largest biohybrid robotic hand powered by contractile muscle tissue, a walking robot actuated by living cells and soft robots covered with engineered skin that can be repaired when damaged.
Ultimately, breaking this wall is not just about making better robots—it’s about building a new class of systems that blur the boundary between the mechanical and the biological. These hybrid platforms have the potential to transform biomedical devices, diagnostics, regenerative medicine and even cultured meat production. They also raise important questions about the definition of life and the ethics of engineering living systems.
What is the main goal of your research or project?
The main goal of my research is to explore and establish a new technological paradigm in which machines and biological systems are seamlessly integrated—not just physically, but functionally. By creating biohybrid systems that incorporate living cells and tissues into robotic devices we aim to unlock capabilities that conventional engineering alone cannot achieve such as self-healing, metabolic energy use, adaptive sensing and biological actuation.
This ambition is rooted in a fundamental question: Can we build machines that grow, feel and respond like living organisms? To answer it, we take a multidisciplinary approach that brings together microengineering, synthetic biology, tissue engineering and soft robotics. Our team has developed systems such as biohybrid hands powered by engineered muscle tissue, living skins that repair themselves when damaged and walking robots actuated by biological cells.
Beyond robotics, this research has broader implications. The same technologies that allow us to culture thick, functional muscle tissues for robots can be repurposed for cultured meat, regenerative medicine or organ-on-chip diagnostics. Thus, the goal is not to merely copy nature, but to co-develop with it—engineering platforms that are both technically robust and biologically meaningful.
In the long term, we envision a future in which biohybrid systems contribute to sustainability, healthcare and our understanding of life itself. This means not only advancing science and technology but also addressing ethical, social and philosophical questions. How do we define a living machine? What responsibilities do we carry when we engineer life-like systems?
Ultimately, our goal is to foster new forms of embodiment—where robotics is no longer limited to metal and plastic but evolves through symbiosis with living matter.
What advice would you give to young scientists or students interested in pursuing a career in research, or to your younger self starting in science?
If I could give advice to young scientists—or to my younger self—it would be this: don’t limit yourself to the boundaries of a single field. Many of the most exciting breakthroughs happen not within disciplines, but between them.
When I started my career in mechanical engineering, I never imagined I would one day work with living cells, tissues or cultured meat. But by following questions that truly intrigued me, even when they led me into unfamiliar territory, I discovered a space where engineering and biology could meet to create something entirely new.
You don’t have to master every discipline. What matters is staying curious, listening to others and building teams that bring different strengths together. Great science is rarely done alone—it grows from collaboration, friction and the willingness to see the world from someone else’s perspective.
You’ll also fail. Often. That’s part of the process. Many of our early prototypes didn’t work. Muscle tissues tore, circuits failed, cells died. But each failure was a stepping stone. Progress in science is non-linear but deeply rewarding if you keep moving.
Most importantly, stay connected to your sense of wonder. Research is not just about solving problems—it’s about expanding what is possible. In my experience, the best way to do that is to combine ideas, materials and mindsets that don’t usually belong together—biology and robotics, soft and hard, digital and organic.
That approach has become my personal motto: Think Hybrid. It reminds me that innovation often lies in the intersections, not the centres. Whether you’re starting in physics, art, medicine or engineering, be open to unexpected combinations. The future doesn’t belong to one field alone—it belongs to those who can build bridges between them.
What inspired you to be in the profession you are today?
I became fascinated with biohybrid systems when I created a robot powered by an insect leg during my undergraduate thesis—and I’ve been hooked ever since.
What impact does your research or project have on society?
Our work provides a new perspective on manufacturing by integrating living systems into engineering. It has led to potential applications in drug discovery, medicine, food and environmental sensing—it even challenges how we think about life itself.
What is one surprising fact about your research or project that people might not know?
We succeeded in creating muscle tissue from beef cells that twitched in response to electrical stimulation—yet it didn’t taste like beef at all. That moment reminded us just how much more effort is needed to recreate the full experience of real meat.
What’s the most exciting moment you've experienced over the course of your research or project?
The most thrilling moment was when our lab-grown muscle visibly contracted in response to electrical signals—no microscope needed. That clear, naked-eye movement made us believe we could truly build living machines.
