Harvard University built stingray robots from mouse heart cells

The Harvard University team has developed a stingray robot that can mimic this animal's movement, using heart muscle from a mouse and attaching it to the skeleton. Stingray shape. Researchers' products are considered to be a great "hybrid" of biochemical techniques, which will likely boost the birth of a whole new generation of underwater robots.

The above robot only uses a single muscle layer, allowing them to expand to mimic the rays of the rays. While the true rays have a muscle layer to pull its fins upward, the robot's skeleton is designed to bounce itself up after each contraction, simplifying the overall structure. When muscles are stimulated by light, coordinated movements allow the robot to swim forward.

"In general, we created it with a handful of mouse heart cells, some implants, and a little gold. It seems that everything costs a lot of money, except genetic engineering , " Kit said. Parker, a biology engineer at Harvard University, head of the research team, said. Its size is quite small, not more than 1.5cm long and weighs only 10 grams.

How does it work?

This robot uses only a single muscle layer, allowing them to expand to mimic the rays of the rays.

To understand why the heart muscle taken from mice can provide energy for a stingray robot, we begin to learn through its layers one by one. There are a total of 4 classes. The top layer is a silicone case that is cast from a titanium frame, making the robot flexible, flexible and easy to attach to other materials. Deeper into the second layer is a simple skeleton skeleton made of gold. The reason for choosing gold is because the researchers found its hardness and flexibility to be consistent with the contraction - stretching in the movement of rays.

The third place is the ultra-thin silicone layer , which not only prevents rat heart muscle from coming into direct contact with gold, but also plays an important role in shaping mouse cells, forming desired tissues. The bottom layer is the cells taken from genetically engineered mouse heart muscle. Later, Parker placed these cells on the two fins of the robot, so that the transmitted signal could travel vertically between them, thereby creating a wavering motion of the fin like real rays.

Using genetic engineering, scientists can make the rays' muscles shrink when exposed to a specific wavelength of light. This is done through a technique called genetic engineering optogenetics , which allows normal cells to respond to light.

After 6 weeks, stingray robots still swim, with more than 80% of cells still alive and well.

During testing, robots can swim quite flexibly in liquids, and scientists also provide nutrients to maintain the life of mouse heart cells. After 6 weeks, stingray robots still swim, with more than 80% of cells still alive and well.

Although the initial results were positive, Mr. Adam Feinberg, a robot researcher at Carnegie Mellon University (USA), said that there are still many challenges that new robots need to overcome. Because there is no immune system, so if you put the stingray robot into a natural environment, assuming adequate nutrition, its viability is also very low due to the attack of bacteria and fungi.

Application

For his part, engineer Parker believes that his robot - a machine built on living animal cells, will pose a question for philosophy, is it living? " I think we have created a biological life. A machine, but there is a biological life. I will not call it a creature, because it cannot be cloned, but it certainly remains alive".

According to Parker, perhaps the most interesting aspect of stingray robots is that scientists in different fields can use it for their research."While learning robots and engineers can find different ways to use biological cells as design materials, marine biologists can also take a new look to better understand how tissues respond to light and how they are organized ".