Maheera Bawa

About

Maheera Bawa is an emerging researcher at the forefront of biohybrid robotics and skeletal muscle tissue engineering, with work spanning microfabrication, soft actuator design, and biomechanical systems integration. Her most significant contributions center on harnessing living skeletal muscle as a functional actuator for next-generation biohybrid machines. Bawa developed STAMP, an innovative and cost-effective microtopographical patterning technique using reusable 3D-printed stamps to precisely control muscle alignment across diverse hydrogel surfaces — a method with broad implications for both drug screening and robotic applications. Her research on soft biological actuators addresses fundamental challenges in matching the extraordinary packing density and contractility of native actomyosin systems, pushing biohybrid robots toward meter-scale homeostatic function. Notably, her work introducing biohybrid tendons has expanded the design space for muscle-powered robots by decoupling actuator placement from skeletal architecture, improving power-to-weight ratios and modularity. Her contributions to steering and control mechanisms further advance the sophistication of living machines. With multiple papers already accumulating 14 citations each within or before 2025, Bawa's early-career output signals considerable momentum in a rapidly evolving field bridging bioengineering and robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Leveraging microtopography to pattern multi-oriented muscle actuators

   14 citations · 2025
2. 2
   Soft Biological Actuators for Meter-Scale Homeostatic Biohybrid Robots

   14 citations · 2025
3. 3
   Taking control: Steering the future of biohybrid robots

   14 citations · 2024
4. 4
   Biohybrid Tendons Enhance the Power‐to‐Weight Ratio and Modularity of Muscle‐Powered Robots

   2 citations · 2025
5. 5
   Leveraging microtopography to pattern multi-oriented muscle actuators

   2 citations · 2024

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links