Complexity Digest 2005.04 - 10

24-Jan-2005

Micro Musclebot: Wee Walker Moves By Heart Cells' Beats, Science News Bookmark and Share

Excerpts: When immersed in a glucose-containing solution, the heart cells beat, causing the device to scoot along. With each muscle contraction, the arch tightens, dragging its back leg forward and planting it on the surface. Then, as the muscle relaxes, the springy arch loosens and the front leg takes a step forward. (...)

More-versatile devices are on the way, (...).

(...) creating a new version using skeletal muscle instead of heart muscle. Whereas heart cells follow an intrinsic rhythm, skeletal muscle can be induced by electricity or chemicals to contract, (...).