muscle cells

MIT researchers have built a paper-thin swimming robot that moves using living muscle cells rather than motors. The soft robotic swimmer can navigate through watery mazes, demonstrating precise control of biohydraulic movement in a device thin enough to be flexible like paper. The work highlights growing progress in biohybrid robotics, where engineered living tissue is combined with synthetic materials to create machines that move in ways conventional robots cannot.

Researchers have presented a paper-thin swimming robot powered by a single layer of genetically engineered living muscle cells that contract in response to light. The biohybrid design combines mechanical engineering with synthetic biology, allowing the device to move without batteries or external motors. The work is drawing attention as an example of how living cells can serve as actuators in soft robotics.

MIT researchers have developed a paper-thin robotic device that swims using living muscle cells, according to a report by Interesting Engineering. The tiny biohybrid robot moves through fluid by harnessing the natural contractions of muscle tissue rather than conventional motors, pointing to new possibilities for soft robotics and medical devices. Coverage of the project is spreading as readers share the unusual combination of biological and engineered components.

Researchers report that changing the metabolism of heart cells can unlock an inherent self-repair mechanism following a heart attack. The finding suggests a potential new route to regenerating damaged heart tissue, a long-standing goal in cardiology since adult heart muscle repairs itself poorly. Details of the study, including the model used and clinical implications, were not provided.