Tiny robot activated by microscopic living heart muscle

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 26 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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A tiny robot, half the width of a human hair, is powered by heart tissue, living heart tissue.

Never before has muscle tissue ever been used to power a micro-machine, especially such a very small one.

NASA is hoping these 'musclebots' will one day fix holes in spaceships made by tiny meteorites.

This technology could also be used for people who currently cannot breathe without the help of a ventilator.

This technology has been created and developed at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

They made a silicon arch, 50 micrometres wide. To the underside of this arch they grew heart muscle fibres.

As the heart muscle contracts and relaxes it makes the arch bend and straighten up, the arch thus moves - a bit like some legless insects do - it crawls.

The muscle is fuelled by a simple glucose nutrient. The muscle is so small that it can only be seen through a microscope.

Most motors need electricity while muscles can draw their energy from glucose. The glucose can be deposited on the surface where the robot will be working, says The New Scientist journal.