Korean researchers report the development of a robot powered by heart muscle cells from a rat. The researchers coated a biocompatible polymer with heart cells that pulse in synchony in the presence of glucose, obviating the need for an external power supply. These beating cells permit the robot to move its six legs. The robot has three short front legs and three longer back legs, which are all attached to a central rectangular body. As the heart cells contract, the longer rear legs bend inwards. This creates a difference in friction between the front and rear legs, which pushes the robot forward. The scientists measured the robot’s average speed at about 100 micrometers per second (or about 2.2E-10 MPH). The lead designer, Sukho Park at Chonnam National University, Korea, says these crab-like robots could be used inside the body to clear blocked tubes or arteries.

This made me think of another really neat use for the heart muscle cells, which would be to make a glucose-powered electricity generator. The basic concept would be to coat a micro-balloon with the cells and use their contracting force to drive a nano-machined generator. The concept is shown below. The advantage would be that you could power small electronics or anything else that runs off electricity using only glucose. Although each single generator may not make much power, linking thousands of nano-generators together may generate usuable quantities of power.

Heart muscle cells coat a micro balloon and contract in synchrony. The expelled fluid drives a generator using nano-machined gears.
 

The Advances in Synthetic Biology Conference will be held from March 6-7, 2008, in Cambridge, U.K. Synthetic biology is an emerging discipline that aims to meld engineering principles with biology in order to modify biological pathways in predictable ways. Ultimately, the design of artificial life may be possible. The field of synthetic biology still has broad definitions. Efforts can relate to transplanting a pathway from one organism to another, or even constructing entire circuits using regulators from diverse organisms. This conference appears to offer a compelling line-up of speakers and promises to be very interesting. Topics range from the ethical issues to genomic nanoprocessors.