Published on01/18/05
By using rat cells, researchers have been able to build tiny robots powered by biological muscles without any external source of energy. The robot size is less than a millimeter long.
The silicon serves as a "skeleton" for the muscles. Because the cells are alive, one could say that the device is alive. I don't really mind about that but I'm sure that this is going to spark all kind of debates and soon, you might see groups advocating for the "rights of the nano-robots"… :)
The photo shows a microscopic view of the device. It looks like a small pair of frog legs. Researchers think that they might build self-assembling machines using this technology.
Photo via BBC.