Scientists build modular biobots from human lung cells and cilia

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a novel class of living, modular biobots called AggreBots, engineered from human lung cells and powered by cilia—microscopic hair-like structures that enable movement by propelling fluids. Unlike traditional biobots that rely on muscle fibers for motion, AggreBots utilize cilia-based propulsion, offering a new approach to controlling microscale robot motility. The team’s innovative method involves assembling tissue spheroids derived from lung stem cells, including genetically modified spheroids with immotile cilia, to precisely control the location and function of cilia on the biobot surface. This modular design allows customizable movement patterns, akin to selectively removing oars from a rowboat to influence its direction. The biobots’ fully biological composition makes them biodegradable and biocompatible, enhancing their potential for medical applications such as targeted therapeutic delivery within the body. Because AggreBots can be created from a patient’s own cells, they may avoid immune rejection and enable