• Silicone jellyfish

  • Cassandra1840

American biotechnologists have created a miniature jellyfish robot made of silicone and heart muscle cells, capable of swimming as fast as its living counterparts. The device, called Medusoid, mimics the movement characteristics of real jellyfish and how they capture food. It is a full imitation of a real living organism. According to the scientists, jellyfish move forward by contracting the bell of their body, thereby pushing water in the direction opposite to their movement vector. This process is analogous to how the hearts of humans and other animals pump blood through the blood vessels. For the creation of the Medusoid's body, biotechnologists used a special porous type of silicone, into which they placed small strips of proteins that replicate the structure of the muscles of a real jellyfish. On top of these strips, the scientists grew muscle cells extracted from a rat's heart. The Americans then placed the Medusoid in a vessel of saltwater and inserted two electrodes into it. To their surprise, the robot began to swim quickly when electrical impulses were sent into the aquarium.

Randy

Yes, fantastic! Researchers from Harvard University have created an artificial jellyfish using silicone and rat heart cells...