Mmastodon TechnologyRobotics first seen 6 h ago, last 32 min ago, peak #2

MIT builds gum-sized robot swimmer powered by living mouse muscle

Original: 🐟 NEW: # MIT engineers built a # robot swimmer the size of a stick of gum, powered by a single sheet of living # mouse m

MIT engineers have built a tiny swimming robot roughly the size of a stick of gum, driven by a single sheet of living mouse muscle tissue less than 15 micrometres thick. Blue light at 470 nanometres makes the muscle cells contract, bending gel fins that steer the robot through a maze at about four body lengths per minute. The work highlights how biohybrid robotics could one day produce miniature swimmers for medical or research uses.

Why now: The unusual combination of living tissue and soft robotics demonstrates a striking biohybrid advance that fascinates the science and tech community.

MITroboticsbiohybrid robots

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Rank over time, top of the chart is #1. 5 snapshots from 6 h ago to 32 min ago.

Evidence

• 🐟 NEW: # MIT engineers built a # robot swimmer the size of a stick of gum, powered by a single sheet of living # mouse muscle less than 15 µm thick. # Light at 470 µm makes the # cells contract, bending gel fins to steer it through a maze at four body lengths per minute.… · tksst@fediscience.org · 3

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