Microelectronics give researchers a remote control for biological robots

A photograph of an eBiobot prototype, lit with blue microLEDs. Remotely controlled miniature biological robots have many potential applications in medicine, sensing and environmental monitoring. Then, they saw the light. Now, miniature biological robots have gained a new trick: remote control. The hybrid "eBiobots" are the first to combine soft materials, living muscle and microelectronics, said researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University and collaborating institutions.