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Tiny Robots Powered by Living Muscle Cells

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the robots-doing-laps dept.

voma writes "Tiny robots powered by living muscle have been created by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles. The devices were formed by "growing" rat cells on microscopic silicon chips, the researchers report in the journal Nature Materials. Less than a millimetre long, the miniscule robots can move themselves without any external source of power. Muscles like these could be used in a host of microscopic devices - even to drive miniature electrical generators to power computer chips."

7 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. sounds kinda creepy by johnstein · · Score: 3, Insightful

    but still... pretty crazy what scientists can do. I won't say EVIL EVIL! or YAY PROGRESS! I mean, we are human. we will dabble. these things will be invented. just hope like so many other inventions, the good outweighs the bad.

    besides. 1mm of rat muscle? man. how puny :)

    -John

    --
    "The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and hoping for different results"
    1. Re:sounds kinda creepy by eln · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm not sure I really see a bad side to this. It's not like we're talking about machines with sentience here, just machines that are powered by muscle. I would think this kind of technology could have possible applications in making more natural-feeling prosthetics, which would be of great use to society. Just think, people could have prosthetic limbs connected directly to their own muscles, for totally natural movement.

      Or we could just make an army of Robocops or something. Six of one, half dozen of the other really.

  2. A very stupid question by adeydas · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Won't the cells eventually die?!

  3. One too many steps? by nsaneinside · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The cells DO need a source of power: ATP. That's our input. The desired output is electrical energy. 1. ATP 2. -> mechanical energy 3. -> electrical energy I admit, the cool factor is there, but why can't we just use chemical reactions to extract the raw energy from ATP's chemical bonds?

  4. Where are the lasers and the killer bees?!? by ztirffritz · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It would have been much cooler if they created a rat with a microchip in its head that shot lasers out of its eyes, or killer bees came out of its mouth. Or a robotic Richar Simmons, now that would have been cool!

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  5. Care and Feeding? by nurb432 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How do they propose to feed these cells? They need nutrients, oxygen and something to remove waste product..

    They arent exactly 'self sufficient'....

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  6. Re:Why is "growing" in quotes? by StikyPad · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why is the word "growing" in quotes in the posted article? Did the scientists not actually grow the muscles?

    You're assuming that putting "quotes" around a word makes it an antonym. But since they don't actually "belong" in that "sentence," it turns out to be just a superfluous use of "punctuation."

    And anyway, I'm pretty sure that the muscles grew themselves. Now when scientists start giving birth to nanobots, THAT will be something to see. Or not to see, I should say.

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