Scientists have recently made a surprising discovery that tiny robots made entirely out of human cells are capable of living and perhaps even reproducing. Researchers at the University of Washington, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology collaborated on the project, and the results were published in Science Robotics.
The tiny robots, called biobots, are made out of two cell types, fibroblasts, and glia cells, which together form a type of muscle tissue. The team then used laser microdissection to shape the cells into a Lego-like configuration, forming tiny three-dimensional robots that are each under 200 micrometers in size.
What surprised the researchers was that these biobots were capable of a type of locomotion not unlike that of an earthworm or slug. The robots could blindly self-assemble and respond to various types of stimuli, such as small vibrations. They also seemed to be able to repair themselves even when some of their parts were removed.
These tiny robots have several potential applications in medicine and biotechnology. For instance, they could be used to target specific parts of the body and deliver drugs or perform surgical procedures. Additionally, biobots could be used to create human tissue scaffolds in laboratories, which could be used to create mini-organs for use in drug testing and treatment of diseases.
The possibilities for the biobots are endless, and their potential could revolutionize the way we study and treat disease. However, their use in humans is still a distant future, and more research needs to be done to better understand and control these tiny living robots. In the meantime, the discovery has made for an intriguing and unexpected chapter in the development of science and technology.