Dutch scientists built a tiny robotic arm using living algae and two layers of gel; controlled by light, the two-centimetre strip grasped a metal ball and lifted a rubber ring underwater without a conventional motor

Global Science Sun, 25 Oct 2026 07:44:42 GMT Moderate confidence — 73/100

Researchers use light to trigger living algae’s metabolism, enabling the tiny robotic arm to bend without electrical signals.
Think of a robot without battery, without traditional motor and without complicated mechanical joints and only living microalgae, soft gels and source of light.
That’s the unusual premise of a new experiment by researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, who have constructed a miniature actuator that can bend, grasp and lift objects underwater.

Researchers use light to trigger living algae’s metabolism, enabling the tiny robotic arm to bend without electrical signals.
Think of a robot without battery, without traditional motor and without complicated mechanical joints and only living microalgae, soft gels and source of light.
That’s the unusual premise of a new experiment by researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, who have constructed a miniature actuator that can bend, grasp and lift objects underwater.

Sources: Times of India