Lab-grown mouse muscle powers tiny robots that jump, swim and grasp

Researchers at ETH Zurich grew skeletal muscle tissue and showed that for biohybrid robots the interaction between muscle and artificial scaffold matters more than muscle volume. Robots built on this tissue can jump, swim, walk and grasp objects.

• The muscle tissue is lab-grown and contracts under stimulation
• Muscle-scaffold interaction, not muscle mass, is the key factor
• Demonstrators can jump, swim, walk and grasp objects