Robots powered by light-sensitive muscle developed

Researchers have developed a new generation of two-tailed robots that are driven by light-activated muscule tissue — an advance that brings engineers a step closer to building autonomous biobots.

Researchers led by Taher Saif of the University of Illinois in the US, designed a new generation of two-tailed bots powered by skeletal muscle tissue that was stimulated by on-board motor neurons.

The neurons upon exposure to light, fired to move the muscles, the study, published in the journal PNAS, noted.

“We applied an optogenetic neuron cell culture, derived from mouse stem cells, adjacent to the muscle tissue,” Saif said.