This Crawling Robot Is Made With Living Brain and Muscle Cells
1 min read
Summary
Scientists have created a new soft robot that combines living muscle and brain cells with a 3D-printed skeleton and wireless electronics to create what they believe resembles a cyborg.
The robot contains neurons that are genetically modified to respond to light, which in turn causes the neighbouring muscles to contract and release.
The ultimate goal is to create robots with a long-lasting biological “mind” that can direct movement and react to unexpected changes in their environment more efficiently than existing robots, while also offering a way to study movement, movement disorders and the development of new drugs without the need for lab animals.
In addition to batteries of synthetic materials and mechanisms, the team is also inspired by nature, using biological machinery to create more efficient and flexible movement.
