Dutch scientists build motorless algae robot arm that lifts objects underwater
Researchers at Delft University of Technology have developed a motorless robot arm that uses living microalgae to move underwater. The device responds to light, which triggers chemical changes in hydrogel layers to create movement.
Why it matters
This innovation represents a breakthrough in soft robotics and bio-hybrid systems, potentially leading to more sustainable, energy-efficient underwater exploration tools.
Think of a robot without battery, without traditional motor and without complicated mechanical joints and only living microalgae, soft gels and source of light. That’s the unusual premise of a new experiment by researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, who have constructed a miniature actuator that can bend, grasp and lift objects underwater. The work offers a glimpse of such a future, where living organisms could become an active part of the robotic systems. Scroll down for more.Living cell robotPhys Org reports that the soft robotic strip is tiny, about two centimeters long and one millimeter thick, but its movement is surprisingly sophisticated.
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