Chinese scientists have developed a small aquatic robot that moves in a manner similar to a stingray and is powered by natural muscle tissue taken from a frog. The technology uses infrared light to control muscle contraction, allowing the robot to operate without wires or a battery.
The device was developed by researchers at the Shenyang Institute of Automation, affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Functional Materials. Rather than relying on conventional motors, the robot uses a small fragment of muscle extracted from the leg of a bullfrog.
The system operates through small solar panels mounted on the upper surface of the robot. When exposed to infrared light, the panels generate electrical signals that are transmitted to nerves present on the surface of the muscle tissue, triggering contraction and, consequently, propelling the device through the water.
According to the researchers, natural muscle tissue has an organised fibre structure and is capable of producing greater force than some laboratory-grown muscle tissues. During testing, the muscle remained responsive for up to 11 days under laboratory conditions and reliably actuated the robot for one week.
The robot is capable of swimming in a straight line, turning left and right, moving in circles, and executing U-turns. To control direction, the researchers project laser light onto either the left or right solar panel, causing one side of the muscle to contract while the other relaxes.
Despite its small dimensions, the device can reach a maximum speed equivalent to twice its body length per second. The robot can also complete a full rotation in just 17 seconds, carry payloads of up to five grams, and move slowly on land.
According to Zhang Chuang, the study’s corresponding author and a researcher at the institute, this is the first time that natural muscle tissue has been combined with light-controlled wireless stimulation. The team now intends to extend the survival duration of the muscle, develop more flexible electrodes, and add an energy storage system that would allow the robot to operate autonomously.
The researchers believe the technology could in future be used to monitor shallow-water environments and observe aquatic species with minimal disturbance. The method of electrically controlling muscles may also find applications in medicine, including in the recovery of muscles affected by nerve damage and in the development of more efficient laboratory systems for tissue cultivation.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=537880
