Collaborate Disseminate
Researchers have created a synthetic “cellular glue” that can help cells bond together to different degrees. The technique could help speed up wound healing, even in tissues that don’t heal well naturally, and eventually allow scientists to build bette… Continue reading Synthetic “cellular glue” bonds tissues for better regenerative medicine
A newfound understanding around the intricate architecture of lobster underbellies has provided MIT engineers with a model for a tough and stretchy new hydrogel. The material mimics the spiraling structure of the creature’s under-armor that affords it … Continue reading Lobster underbellies inspire spiraling material for artificial tendons
While thin sheets of lab-grown biological tissue do show promise for applications such as the treatment of wounds, picking those delicate sheets up can be very difficult. That’s where a new octopus-inspired gripper is designed to come in.Continue Readi… Continue reading Tissue-transferring gripper inspired by octopus suckers
We’re about to enter a new age in robotics. Forget the servos, the microcontrollers, the H-bridges and the steppers. Start thinking in terms of optogenetically engineered myocytes, microfabricated gold endoskeletons, and hydrodynamically optimized elastomeric skins, because all of these have now come together in a tissue-engineered swimming robotic stingray that pushes the boundary between machine and life.
In a paper in Science, [Kevin Kit Parker] and his team at the fantastically named Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering describe the achievement. It turns out that the batoid fishes like skates and rays have a pretty good handle on how …read more
Continue reading Tissue-Engineered Soft Robot Swims Like a Stingray