Scientists have created a floating robot with living muscle cells.
The MIT team grew living muscle tissue on a flexible gel base and learned to control contractions using blue light. The results were published in Advanced Functional Materials.
Each 15x7 mm fin is covered with muscle fibers made from genetically modified mouse cells. The light causes them to shrink and bend the fin. By changing the lighting, scientists control the direction and speed of the robot.
The main trick is the gel base, which the muscles do not crush during contraction. Microgrooves on it guide the growth of fibers, helping them to work in harmony.
In a laboratory maze, in one minute the robot swam a distance equal to about four times its own body length. But he did not choose the route, because the researchers guided him with an external light source.
It is also interesting that his muscles get tired - in a test with continuous stimulation, the forward movement stopped after half an hour.
The authors suggest that in the future such soft devices may be used for sensitive monitoring of the aquatic environment.