MIT builds light-steered robot fish powered by living muscle cells

MIT engineers built a chewing-gum-sized robot that swims using a single layer of living muscle cells that contract when hit by light. Its 15 mm fins let it move and turn without onboard electronics, steered by an external light beam. It travels about four body lengths per minute, and the muscle kept working for over 30 days.

• Chewing-gum-sized robot swims using a single layer of living muscle cells
• 15×7×0.5 mm fins contract under light; steering comes from outside, no onboard electronics
• Daily 15-minute light stimulation quadrupled fin displacement versus controls
• Muscle worked unanchored for over 30 days; top speed about four body lengths per minute