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Scientists build a cyborg with artificial and biological parts

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SCarpelan:
The cyborg in question is built in the form of a tiny stingray. The biological components are grown from rat heart muscle cells around a gold skeleton. The cells react to light by contracting and the gold skeleton stores part of the energy to return the muscles back to the original position. By directing a pulsating light to the robot the scientists can guide it to swim the direction they want.

Kevin Kit Parker, the applied physicist leading the project is planning to build an artificial heart for humans and this is a first step on the way there. The point is that a stingray swims by manipulating the flow of the water it swims in and a heart's function is to manipulate the flow of another liquid, blood. On the other hand, it's also a first step to building actual artificial life forms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUlKwvhSu3M

Art Vandelay:
You see shit like this and think how long it'll take from these first proof of concept tests to something halfway practical, then lament the fact that you were born way too soon.

Well, I mean, I do that. I can't speak for you personally, of course.

Zygarde:
You know this combined with AI research, I wonder how long until we can make Date from Star Trek?

RavynousHunter:
Finally, my goal of becoming an immortal cyborg is close to being a reality.

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