Robotic Stingray Makes Use of Heart Cells for Mobility

 

There is a new and exciting technology on the horizon. It has been the thing of science fiction for years but very soon it could be a reality. Researchers set out to create a robotic stingray that swam like that of its natural counterparts. The bio-engineers at Harvard were tasked with this project and the answer that they came up with was that of heart cells from rats.

The researchers created a skeleton for their ray from gold (used because of its chemically inert nature). They then stretched a thin layer of rubber over the skeleton, once a final thicker layer of silicone was added they finished off their creation with the application of heart cells from rats. These cells when electrically stimulated contract, causing the fins of the ray to move in a very natural looking motion.

They wanted to keep the weight down though so instead of adding a second set of muscle cells to pull the fins back to the original position they simply made the skeleton in a manner that causes the fins to “bounce” back to the starting position.

This success is extremely exciting; the eventual goal is to use this type of technology to build or repair internal organs in our bodies.

For the full article on this exciting new technology, see LiveScience.com