--- title: "Scientists Build Gruesome Robots That Move With Mouse Muscles" description: "Scientists have created a a remote-controlled walking robot that runs on mouse muscle cells, Inverse reports, an eerie mashup." date: "2023-01-23" modified: "2023-01-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-robots-move-mouse-muscles" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "biohybrid robots" - "robots" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Build Gruesome Robots That Move With Mouse Muscles ![Scientists have created a a remote-controlled walking robot that runs on mouse muscle cells, Inverse reports, an eerie mashup.]() *\Image: Kim et al.\* ## FrankenBot Scientists have created remote-controlled walking robots actuated by mouse muscle cells, [*Inverse* reports](), a Frankensteinian mashup of state-of-the-art robotics and basic biological systems that could lay the groundwork for far more complex cyborg robots in the future. As detailed in a [new paper]() published in the journal *Science Robotics*, the biohybrid was even able to move fast enough to set a new speed record, covering just under a millimeter a second. That may not sound like much — but it's quite a lot compared to other biohybrid robot systems of this kind. In other words, you know those [Necrons from Warhammer 40K]()? Yeah, pretty much a baby version of that. ## Power Play Each pea-sized robot was constructed out of lab-grown mouse muscle cells, a 3D-printed skeleton made out of a soft material, and wireless LED control chips. Since the mouse muscle cells react to external stimuli including light or heat, beaming light at these LED controllers allowed the robot to start waddling forward. In other words, the robot could be remotely controlled without the need for a power source or battery. "You can basically beam energy into the chip," Mattia Gazzola, co-author and mechanical engineer at the University of Illinois, told *Inverse*, "so that means that you don’t need power onboard." The team managed to maneuver the tiny biohybrids through a maze and even knock over a series of obstacles. Gazzola and his colleagues see the research as only the beginning. They are now working towards more complex biohybrid robots with neural cells that can make decisions on their own. **READ MORE:** [This biohybrid robot walks using lab-grown mouse muscles]()\[*Inverse*\] **More on bio robots:** *[Scientists Create Synthetic Organisms That Can Reproduce]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()