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Tiny Robots Powered by Living Muscle Cells
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."
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"
I can't help to think this is somwhat relaxted to "Nanotech Research Works Toward Artificial Muscles", a story covered by Slashdot last week...
No food, no light, no oxygen, no electricity?
Maybe "voma" is a pseudonym for Laura Didio.
I have no idea.
It appears ratbot and roborat are already taken.
pi = 3.141592653589793helpimtrappedinauniversefactory7
I always thought Terminator would happen first but now Robocop has a chance! Planet of the Apes still a long way off...
Onward to the Aether Sphere!
There's no external power source, because these things EAT OLD PEOPLES MEDICINE FOR FUEL!
I don't know why the scientists keep inventing them.
And when they grab you in their metal claws, you can't escape, because they're made of metal.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
...Planet of the Apes still a long way off...
Say that again after looking at Steve ballmer perform.
How else will a bit of muscle move along? It has to creep until they build little legs for it...
for a moment, while I feed my computer.
Gee, I initially read that as "these things EAT OLD PEOPLE FOR FUEL!" Now *that* would solve the Social Security problem...
Reject Fear - Embrace Hope
Gives new meaning of rats in a excersize wheel to generate power.
Now I need to worry about keeping my computer in shape as well as myself.
Can devices like this potentially use chemicals in blood to generate mechanical energy and then electricity so as to replace pacemakers? It'd be nice if those things had indefinite battery life rather than what they have now, what, 9 years?
Of course, I'm surprised that you couldn't just do a mechanical generator for that. Or have they?
___
It's the end of my comment as I know it and I feel fine.
The leading cause of death in old people is, after all, robots!
(don't know why parent's great SNL reference was modded troll)
-- I prefer the term "karma escort."
The abstract from the paper
Current procedures for manual extraction of mature muscle tissue in micromechanical structures are time consuming and can damage the living components. To overcome these limitations, we have devised a new system for assembling muscle-powered microdevices based on judicious manipulations of materials phases and interfaces. In this system, individual cells grow and self-assemble into muscle bundles that are integrated with micromechanical structures and can be controllably released to enable free movement. Having realized such an assembly with cardiomyocytes we demonstrate two potential applications: a force transducer able to characterize in situ the mechanical properties of muscle and a self-assembled hybrid (biotic/abiotic) microdevice that moves as a consequence of collective cooperative contraction of muscle bundles. Because the fabrication of silicon microdevices is independent of the subsequent assembly of muscle cells, this system is highly versatile and may lead to the integration of cells and tissues with a variety of other microstructures.
"even to drive miniature electrical generators to power computer chips."
This makes it seem as if muscle cells can act as a source of free power. I'm sure the above plan would work, but only for a very short time... Just as human beings can run "without an external power source," until we need to recharge (i.e. eat). We use sugars to produce ATP which gives us the energy we need. But the problem is that our bodies contain all of the necessary facilities to convert sugar into ATP quickly and efficiently, while lone muscle cells on a computer chip do not. They would eventually be forced either to remove the cells and replace them with new ones, or to find a way of recharging the cells, which sounds like a project in itself.
* Olaserov is in the process of thinking up a signature.
Why is the word "growing" in quotes in the posted article? Did the scientists not actually grow the muscles?
Muscles would be great replacements for all sorts of electrically powered motors/servos out there. There's a lot of chemical energy stored in organic material, so switching over to artificial muscle based machines would virtually solve the battery problem faced in so many disciplines right now. Batteries are heavy, don't really store that much energy, and require toxic chemical considerations both in their manufacture and disposal. Artificial muscle on the other hand can extract very easily the energy contained within common foods/organic paste and only create waste by-products that have less impact on the environment because they're biodegradable. :)
Just another step towards Robotech
Shh.
All this talk of "welcoming our new overlords", combined with lab rats, brings about flashbacks of a certain Pinky & The Brain episode
"I am the OoOoOooOOoOOOOVERLORD!!!"
-- I prefer the term "karma escort."
It's called the RATRIX.
Night of the Living... Rat Muscles.
*User presses power button* "Man I liked it better when they would just crash."
Dude, my tiny two legged microscopic robots can so kick your tiny two legged microscopic robots asses. ... if they had asses.
___
It's the end of my comment as I know it and I feel fine.
When you want to remove the rat robots from the patient, just flip them over and sprinkle a bit of parmesan around their anus and wait a few minutes.
They think we don't see it, but this is just another piece in the puzzle. Yes it's all begining to make sense.
The cybernetic rats are taking over. And they're pissed. Angered by the years of experiments, they have already taken over the scientists, and they are using them to take over all our technology. It's only a matter of time now...
This sig all sigs devours
Won't the cells eventually die?!
Computer Chips - it's for dinner!
Everybody here is a robot powered by muscle.
Laws are for people with no friends.
Dave... I'm sorry Dave. I'll never eat your pets again.
Laws are for people with no friends.
This is slashdot: don't let reality to ruin a good story.
I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is an imaginary number. Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and dial again.
Once someone can network these things together then testing of Borg 0.1a can begin.
I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to my assimilation, so long as Jeri Ryan is involved.
...
"i'd like a #4 with coke, a happy meal, and 2 Googlishes. Overclock please"
and then of course weight watchers & atkins for computers.
in this age of communication i'm just not getting through
I was just about to say the same thing, and also to say Lisa! In this house we obay the laws of thermodynamics!
Drill baby drill - on Mars
Can it be controlled by a rat brain?2 4/0024241&tid=191&tid=126&tid=14
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/
Give a man fire, and you warm him for the night. Set a man on fire, and you warm him for the rest of his life.
The 300 foot tall version will only have 60 seconds of power without a direct feed and must be powered by kids and have some plot that doesn't make sense and angers it's viewers on the last episode.
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
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?
* I for one welcome.. wa *(^()S NO CARRIER!
This is my sig. There are thousands more, but this one is mine.
now if they were powered by FAT cells, we'd really have something....
Especially when pusher robot throws grandma down the stairs (know that reference?) to protect her from the terrible secret of space.
-Jesse
Nothing says "unprofessional job" like wrinkles in your duct tape.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Information Devices?
I suppose if it gets sick you'll have to take care of it rather than just order a new set of power supply "muscles" from newegg.
"As the owner of an organic power supply system, you are bound by state and federal regulations which require you to provide the correct operating environment for your power supply. Because your power supply is a biologically engineered device, it is sensitive to its environment; as such your power supply's operating environment must be free from all known cancer causing chemical agents and other problem components. Failure to provide the proper operating environment will void your warranty and may violate GMO rights laws in your area (CA, CO, MN)
Please refer to section 72.1.a of your owner's manual to find out about the bio-risks associated with this device, including allergy information, cross-contamination concerns, and GMO regulatory information."
Sounds like fun.
Yep,
Sometime in the future, scientists sent out a fully automated research probe manned by cyborgs. Their prime directive was to collect as much information about other civilisations as possible, but not to give out any information on advanced technology or other civilisations. They were also allowed to provide assistance to any other vessels in distress, and augment their systems with anything they could salvage. But after visiting many planets and collecting much information, they soon realised that many civilisations had advanced technologically faster than their governments had, and decided that they themselves would make the better guardians of this knowledge.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
nope
The abstract on the Nature website wasn't doing it for me. I wanted to see a picture. After a quick bit of searching I found the PDF that explains more and has three colourised pictures. http://www.spie.org/paper/FirstSelf.pdf
idm owns me
I've always wanted a headmounted "spy bot" release system :)
Go nanoaugmentation...
Soylent Green is made of Robots! ... Robots!!
aaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggg.....
---- How absolute the knave is! We must speak by the card, or equivocation will undo us. -Shakespeare
I post links to stuff here
Beowulf clusters of rats are probably older than Beowulf the text, although the first depiction is from the 16th century. They are called Rat Kings (scroll down to "Feet of Clay")
<rimshot>
Sustainability and energy independence essay
What is the potential lifespan of these things?
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM
When you want to remove the rat robots from the patient, just flip them over and sprinkle a bit of parmesan around their anus and wait a few minutes.
...! Dude, I did not need to imagine that scenario! Color my brain 'defiled' ....
Ewwwww
-kgj
-kgj
Man, when they told me this computer was a clone, they weren't kidding.
Man, when they said these new Apple PCs were organic I thought they were talking about the shape.
In Soviet Russia, when somthing isn't working, the technology hits you.
Mmmm. This nanotechnology tastes like CHICKEN!
These things are made from rat muscle.
So how soon before they build cute little nano traps for them?
Dude, can you imagine if we taped a smiley face to the top of these and let them run around the apartment?
Can I have some amphetamines, please? I need to overclock my nanotechnology.
Sing with me everybody! These nanobots were made for walking, and that's what they're gonna do! Cause one of these days these bots are gonna walk in side of you...
*cue 'weird science* as thousands of little bots wander around a lab*
*cue 'chariots of fire' with thousands of little bots outrunning Ben Johnson* (Heck, one artificially created muscular system deserves another, right?)
Or just cue 'popcorn' and play 'wack a mole'
The Bemani test; Artificial intelligence is not a reality until it can beat a human in 'Dance Dance revolution'
___
It's the end of my comment as I know it and I feel fine.
I would rather see giant robots powered by whale muscles.
Now we are starting to create organic and machine hybrids. Cyborgs are going to be the eventual evolution of this. If you can do it molecularly its only a matter of time before we do it on a life size robot.
The actin-myosin fibers in the muscle run on ATP, but the muscle cell generates this itself. The fuel used by the cell is carbohydrates and fats, which is turned into energy (ATP) for the fibers and other processes. The energy-generating process can be either anaerobic (fermentation) or aerobic (respiration). For more information, look here.
Sustainability and energy independence essay
ATP - ADP - ATP. Using ATP directly would destroy the thing that makes them cool.
The message on the other side of this sig is false.
A lot of people complain that this is playing god but household dust is mainly just dead skin cells. Does that make the grooves between the keys on my laptop the killing fields? Nope. People say our brains are wet machines. I think we should change perspective. Machines have been "wet" for billions of years and we come along and make some robots and religions and add an adjective to label the norm. But then how would we label a non biological sentient robot with a drinking problem? Extra dry?
What if Digg added local news and a Slashdot inspired comment karma system? ---
http://houndwire.com
As everyone knows hamster power is just about ISO standard by now. Why would they reinvent the hamster wheel yet again?
Seastead this.
"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should. Science can create pesticides, but it can't tell us not to use them. Science can make a nuclear reactor, but it can't tell us not to build it!" Has science fiction not taught us anything? :P
Your computer just took a crap in the corner!
"Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield
I think that's rather insulting to the apes...
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
We already have these.
They're called "Marines"...
Well, okay, not so tiny...that was a reference to brain capacity, I assume...
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
Only in Korea.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
A young adult generates 1/2 watt per pound of body weight sitting, and four times that in exercise. Thats why they have to air condition auditoriums even in the winter with hundreds of those "light bulbs" sitting there.
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!
Why doesn't anything interesting happen when I have mod points?
My nurse is late with my meds...
I am fully in support of that.
+++ATH0
I can't be the only one who sees the potential this has for powering cars -
Yep, I've got over 10,000 ratpower...
Its a muscle car (ouch)
Hey, why's my computer squirming... AAAAAARGHHH!
You must think in Russian.
Yeah, so how (and what) do the cells eat? (And do the researchers drop little drops of water on 'em so they don't dry out?)
I'm not being funny here, I'm sure it's because they have lab mice in good supply, but imagine the strength to weight of these machines if they used ant muscle. Of course I suppose ant muscle doesn't work too well without the exoskeletal mechanical advantage.
The source of the Borg!
My personal theory on origin of the Borg is they are toy of Q.
There you are, staring at me again.
These are not Robots, they're Cyborgs.
Zillions of little Rat Muscle organisms have escaped and infected my brain!!!.
Golly some cheese sounds really good right now!
(If at first you don't succeed, do it different next time!)
I want little robots powered by fat, and only fat. During the winter when people start to bulk up, they ingest a couple of these nanites, and let the trimming begin! A nice side effect would be the heat given off, to keep warm in the cold.
Constitutionally Correct
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 ----
that will run on sunlight and water
Not all nanotech is rosy. Even if we avoid the green goo problem, we have to worry about our adaptations. Stephenson's story about nano/meat interfaces in pursuit of justice are a *lot* scarier than Robocop.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
...I was going to win that game, but my video card pulled a muscle. Come on, you saw it coming. Or, could I borrow your computer, mine seems to be down with a viral infection. Actually seems like pretty cool technology, but it just come with built-in smart-a comments.
It's ok, it's a friendly robot. This Time...
Even people that believe in pre-destiny look both ways before crossing the street.
Rat muscle is patented by God himself, meaning that any use of rat muscle in manmade devices may be defended against in court. However, don't despair. For just $699 per cell, you, too, can harness the power of biology in your applications with GODX's BioRobot Liscence! Without such a liscence, you are violating God's intellectual property rights, and doesn't that just make you feel plain guilty? And if it doesn't, well, there's always litigation and, well, that eternal hellfire thing.
"They're absolutely alive," Professor Montemagno told BBC News. "I mean the cells actually grow, multiply and assemble - they form the structure themselves. So the device is alive."
I, for one, welcome our new living nanobot overlords. Or would they be underlords? All hail!
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
move over intel, here comes sizzlean!
"Soylent green is....made of tiny meat robots...."
No it still needs working on....
*goes back to the drawing board*
RoseColor red={0, 0xffff, 0x0000, 0x0000};VioletColour blue={0, 0x0000, 0x0000, 0xffff};find / -name *mybase*|chown you
Is there any part of the rat we dont use now?
Just wonderin' if Balco will help out...
man rtfm
There was a story in August 2003, Powered by Blood: "Bringing us one step closer to becoming centrally-controlled meatbots, Japanese scientists have developed a device that produces power from the glucose in human blood."
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "rat motor". Now instead of a Chevy 350, you get a tiny robot.
Now we can rate systems in MHz and Horsepower.
No, these robots use muscles that need energy, just like your heart. They don't generate electricity from blood, but there was a story in August 2003, Powered by Blood: "Bringing us one step closer to becoming centrally-controlled meatbots, Japanese scientists have developed a device that produces power from the glucose in human blood." If they combine both of those technologies we might have meat robots powerd by blood, which would be the first step in creating life. The question is: should we play God? Could we create a monster? Do we have a right to do it? Those are very serious questions that have to be answered before any mass production begins because otherwise we might destroy the morality as we know it, if not the life itself.
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
When my woman exclaims, "You're a machine!", she'll actually be right.
I've always wondered why scientists couldn't put an array of millions of mitochondria on a chip and use that as a fuel cell. Mitochondria are extremely efficient at extracting energy aerobically from glucose (something like 31 ATP molecules from one molecule of glucose). Why not just strip the extra baggage and employ mitochondria directly?
'He who has to break a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.' -- Gandalf to Saruman
Help my robot is infested with fleas!