The debut of a robot stingray, powered through mild-activated rat cells

The work well-knownshows a new technique for constructing bio-stimulated robots by means of tissue engineering. Batoid fish, which include stingrays, are prominent by way of their flat bodies and long, wing-like fins that expand from their heads. these fins move in strength-efficient waves that emanate from the the front of the fin to the lower back, permitting batoids to flow gracefully thru water. inspired by using this design, Sung-Jin Park et al. endeavored to build a miniature, gentle tissue robotic with similar qualities and efficiency.

They created neutrally charged gold skeletons that mimic the stingray's shape, which had been overlaid with a skinny layer of stretchy polymer. along the top of the robotic ray, the researchers strategically aligned rat cardiomyocytes (muscle cells). The cardiomyocytes, when stimulated, agreement the fins downward.

since stimulating the fins to turn in an upward movement could require a 2nd layer of cardiomyocytes, the researchers rather designed the gold skeleton in a shape that shops some downward electricity, that's later launched as the cells loosen up, permitting the fins to upward thrust. so that the researchers can manipulate the robotic's motion the use of pulses of light, the cardiomyoctyes were genetically engineered to respond to light cues.

Asymmetrical pulses of light may be used to show the robot to the left or right, the researchers showed, and special frequencies of mild may be used to control its velocity, as verified in a sequence of movies. The method works nicely sufficient to manual the robotic through a primary obstacle route. The robot stingray, containing kind of 200,000 cardiomyocytes, is sixteen millimeters lengthy and weighs just 10 grams.