Who thought of this? Who said, "I wonder what would happen if we put cells from a rat's heart on some plastic and shock it!" Who said, "Wow, man! Let's find out!" Who said, "Here, take this money and get what you need."
The researchers are optimistic that the findings could point the way to sophisticated new "soft robots," effective replacement organs, and better prosthetic devices.
And why does that sound like an excuse from geeks caught building stuff in the back of the lab?
Flexing Muscle Sheets Made With Rat Heart Cells
Mason Inman
for National Geographic News
September 6, 2007
Imagine origami that can fold itself into the shape of a fish or a slug—and then swim or crawl around under its own power.
Researchers at Harvard University have created thin sheets of elastic film studded with rat heart muscle cells that are bringing that fantastic scenario closer to reality.
Like Dr. Frankenstein using lightning to bring his monster to life, the research team—led by biomedical engineer Kit Parker—zapped their muscle-bound sheets with electricity.
This coaxed the muscle cells to contract, bending and flexing the polymer sheets. Sometimes the movement continued spontaneously; other times, it proceeded only in tandem with the electrical inputs.
By cutting out triangles, rectangular strips, and other shapes of this material, the researchers were able to make living origami that could swim, grab, and crawl.
The researchers are optimistic that the findings could point the way to sophisticated new "soft robots," effective replacement organs, and better prosthetic devices.
The findings appear in this week's issue of the journal Science.
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Newsvine
Furl
Google
Yahoo
