Rat spinal cord and 3D-printed hydrogel skeletons allow biobots to ‘walk’

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (IL, USA) have managed to make tiny biobots 'walk' by applying rat muscle and spinal cord tissue to 3D-printed hydrogel skeletons. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (IL, USA) have reported success in applying spinal cord and muscle tissue from rats to biobots to make them 'walk'. Described in APL Bioengineering, the 'spinobots' are powered by the rat spinal cord and muscle tissue applied to a 3D-printed hydrogel skeleton. The team reports that while previous biobot models have been capable of walking by muscle contraction alone, the addition of a...