Bio‐Inspired Artificial Muscle‐Tendon Complex of Liquid Crystal Elastomer for Bidirectional Afferent‐Efferent Signaling (Adv. Mater. 2/2026)

Bio-Inspired Artificial Muscles In their Research Article (DOI: 10.1002/adma.202503094), Shengqiang Cai, Yong-Lae Park, and co-workers report a bio-inspired artificial muscle–tendon complex (MTC) based on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) with embedded liquid-metal channels, illustrated as an artificial actuator connected to biological muscle in the image. The MTC integrates both actuation and proprioceptive sensing within a single structure, enabling simultaneous efferent actuation and afferent feedback. Mimicking natural musculature through an antagonistic arrangement, the system achieves closed-loop bidirectional control, demonstrated in robotic finger and gripper applications.