Science· 2016Q1
Phototactic guidance of a tissue-engineered soft-robotic ray
- 721citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2016year
Short summary
Researchers engineered a 1/10 scale, tissue-engineered ray capable of swimming and phototactically following light cues by patterning rat cardiomyocytes on an elastomeric body with a gold skeleton.
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Key points
- A 1/10 scale, tissue-engineered ray was constructed using rat cardiomyocytes on an elastomeric body with a gold skeleton.
- Optogenetics was used to control the ray's movement, enabling phototactic guidance, steering, and turning.
- Sequential muscle activation via serpentine-patterned circuits produced coordinated undulatory swimming.
- The ray successfully navigated an obstacle course by modulating light frequency and independently controlling fins.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Inspired by the relatively simple morphological blueprint provided by batoid fish such as stingrays and skates, we created a biohybrid system that enables an artificial animal--a tissue-engineered ray--to swim and phototactically follow a light cue. By patterning dissociated rat cardiomyocytes on an elastomeric body enclosing a microfabricated gold skeleton, we replicated fish morphology at 1/10 scale and captured basic fin deflection patterns of batoid fish. Optogenetics allows for phototactic guidance, steering, and turning maneuvers. Optical stimulation induced sequential muscle activation via serpentine-patterned muscle circuits, leading to coordinated undulatory swimming. The speed and direction of the ray was controlled by modulating light frequency and by independently eliciting right and left fins, allowing the biohybrid machine to maneuver through an obstacle course.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2016 · DOI ↗
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Field: Condensed Matter Physics
Condensed Matter PhysicsPhysics and Astronomy