Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign(Champaign,IL,USA; www.illinois.edu),Northwestern University (Evanston,IL,USA; www.northwestern.edu) and collaborating institutions have developed remotely controlled miniature biological robots that could find potential applications in medicine, such as minimum invasive surgery or detection of cancer within the human body.

The hybrid “eBiobots” are the first to combine soft materials,living muscle and microelectronics.

The design offers potential for future integration of additional microelectronics, such as chemical and biological sensors,or 3D-printed scaffold parts for functions like pushing or transporting things that the biobots can encounter.