These robot stingrays are faster and more durable thanks to a secret ingredient: rat muscles

Lots of robotic engineers draw inspiration from animals, building everything from bat-like drones to mechanical cheetahs, dogs and octopi. But it’s hard to make a lifelike machine with purely artificial parts, which is why some scientists are building biohybrids, using tissue from real creatures.

Scientists at Harvard University have just unveiled their latest biohybrid: a robotic stingray that moves just like the actual creature, built using rat muscle cells. Watch the video above to see how it works, and what it could mean for the future of robotic life.