A group of researchers and scientists working out of Case Western Reserve University have developed an exceptionally innovative and undeniably high-tech robot that takes the form of a robotic crawler, and isn't just inspired by nature but actually incorporates it into its very structure and function.
This bio-hybrid robotic crawler consists of real sea slug muscles fixed to a 3D-printed body. When the so-called buccal muscles are contracted and relaxed, the robot carries out a crawling motion. The reason sea slug muscles were used had to do with the hardiness of their muscles, which are more than capable of functioning in a wide variety of different environmental conditions. The robot could be used to carry out searches in the water.
Ultimately, this robotic crawler speaks to the promise of bio-hybrid robotics where nature and machinery are fused into one.
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