Bio-inspired swimming robot is powered by light
JUL 08, 2016
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029951
New Scientist : A coin-sized robot created from rat tissue has been shown to swim through an obstacle course when exposed to light. The bioengineered stingray, designed by Kevin Kit Parker of Harvard University and coworkers, comprises a tiny gold skeleton covered with a flexible polymer that is layered with about 200 000 rat heart cells. The researchers tweaked the cells to make them light sensitive. By shining different frequencies of light on different sides of the robot, they were able to affect its speed and direction. The ultimate goal, according to Parker, is to better understand how the heart works and one day be able to build one.
© 2016 American Institute of Physics
