News From the Field
These Bots Were Made for Walking: Cells Power Biological Machines

November 15, 2012

They're soft, biocompatible, about 7 millimeters long--and, incredibly, able to walk by themselves. Miniature "bio-bots" developed at the University of Illinois are making tracks in synthetic biology. The walking bio-bots demonstrate the Illinois team's ability to forward-engineer functional machines using only hydrogel, heart cells and a 3-D printer. The bio-bots could be customized for specific applications in medicine, energy or the environment. Full Story

Source
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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