Ring muscle makes robot walk on two legs

Biological component: Muscle tissue from a mouse Size: 0.7 cm A muscle ring that functions as a biological version of a rubber band powers a simple, two-legged robot, and the ring can also be used as a component of other types of biobots. Scientists from the US University of Illinois have created the muscle by means of cells from mouse muscles that have been genetically manipulated to contract, when light is shone on them. Growing the muscles in the lab, the scientists shaped them as a ring, which has subsequently been placed around a flexible skeleton made using a 3D printer. The robot has two inflexible legs that approach each other, when the muscle contracts, and the flexible plastic skeleton pushes them apart again, making the robot walk bit by bit. The robot’s two legs are contracted by the muscle and pushed apart by the skeleton.