Scientists Create Biohybrid Robot With Sea Slug Muscles And 3D-Printed Parts

Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University in Ohio used tissues from a sea slug and 3D-printed components to create a biohybrid robot that can crawl like sea turtles on a beach. The robot, just under two inches long, can "walk" at a pace of 0.43 centimeters a minute when an external electrical current is applied which forces the muscles to contract. The scientists behind this biohybrid robot believe that in the future, an army of such robots could be used for a variety of tasks like locating the source of a toxic leak in a pond or even searching the ocean floor for a flight data recorder. "We're building a living machine--a biohybrid robot that's not completely organic yet," lead researcher and PhD student Victoria Webster said in a statement. "We want the robots to be compliant, to interact with the environment. One of the problems with traditional robotics, especially on the small scale, is that actuators -- the units that provide movement -- tend to be rigid."